Yugioh: Return of the Future Darkness
by Yami Marik 01
Summary: It's been over a year since Jaden graduated from Duel Academy. Now he returns along with a new friend, Drake. He meets up with old friends and gets ready for another tournament. However an evil presence is looming and growing stronger with each duel.
1. Welcome Back Jaden

**Finally I have begun writing my fan fic. I have been planning it for a while. The reason GX isn't put in the title is because…well you'll find out. New characters will be introduced and new cards.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yuigoh or its characters or cards by any means.**

"I can't believe it's been a year already since I graduated Duel Academy. It hasn't changed one bit" Jayden said staring at the large building on the island, separated into three different dorms, Obelisk Blue, Ra Yellow and Slifer Red.

Jaden smiled with a look of joy and determination. Jaden hasn't had a challenging duel in a while. He was hoping there were some new tough duelists for him to, well, duel. Jaden still had his kuriboh-shaped hair and is wearing the same Slifer Red uniform he wore before he graduated Duel Academy. He walked off the boat that took him to the island with a friend that he met during the time he spent travelling around.

"Jaden wait up dude. I know your excited and all but just chill a bit" his new friend told him.

"Chill out. How can I chill out when knowing that there is so much action waiting for me inside Drake" Jaden asked with a big grin and waving his arms in the air.

"Remember Jaden I was here too ya know. I think you should be more excited about meeting some old buddies of yours" Drake said putting his hands on his waist.

"Yeah, let's go. I was late to Duel Academy the first time and I don't want to be late for the Reunion" Jaden told Drake as he walked towards the entrance.

Drake is the same age as Jaden. He also wears a Slifer Red uniform, Drake resembles Jaden. His hair is different however. He has more of a spikier, messier brown hairstyle. He walks beside Jaden as they enter the doorway. Duel Academy is having an annual School Reunion. Although it is rather early since it's only been a year, Duel Academy wanted to show the new generation of students the expectations of the school and a bit of entertainment as the best of the best will go at it. The letter said to meet in the main dueling arenas at 2:00pm. As they walked down the hall some previous students said hello and Jaden waved back kindly. Drake on the other hand is a little more nervous. He isn't a bad duelist but he tends to get really anxious during a duel. His hands start shaking and his mind goes blank. When he does something wrong, his temper flares. Already he was feeling tension as his head felt a little heavier than usual and had stomach butterflies. At times he would look down without noticing. Although his confidence has improved since meeting Jaden, he still has bad days and today is no exception. The two enter the main dueling arenas room where many duelists who were around from last year were chatting away. Jaden awed at the sight. Drake is almost shaking.

"This is just awesome. Well let's go find…" Jaden looks at Drake.

Drake is not looking back he is just staring at the room felling a little dizzy, a little overwhelmed.

"Whoa. Now look who has to chill out. Don't worry, when we find the gang and get to know them you'll be fine, they should be around here somewhere" Jaden said as he looks around the room, turning his head in every direction.

"Jaden!" a familiar voice called out to him and is getting closer as his name is continually called out.

Jaden and Drake's faces looked towards a large group of people right in front of them. From the group squeezed through Syrus. Jaden's face brightened up even more as a Syrus runs towards him.

"Hey Sy long time no see" Jaden said giving him a high five.

"I know Jaden, I missed you. You got to tell me what's been…who is he?" Syrus asked as he looked at Drake.

"This is a good buddy of mine, his name is Drake. I met him on my travels around the world, apparently he went to Duel Academy as well but we never seen him, he was always in the background. We met when I was in Europe. I offered to teach him how to become better at what he loves and ever since we've became good friends" Jaden explained to Syrus almost out of breath.

"Hi nice to meet you, I'm Syrus Truesdale" Syrus offered his hand for a handshake.

Drake shook hands with Syrus.

"I know you, you have improved greatly over the years and your brother is a legend among the duelists here" Drake replied.

"Hehe uh thanks" Syrus took the compliment.

"Hey Jaden, some of the others are here too. Chazz, Alexis, Bastion, Jesse and Aster. They're all here. The others couldn't make it, they are busy but most of them are here" Syrus told him.

Syrus led the two boys towards the others. They were all in a group discussing on what's been happening over the past year. As Jaden and Drake got closer the rest stared at them with all happy smiles.

"Hi"

"Jaden figures you would show up to something like this. Never can get enough of winning can you" Chazz remarked.

"Hehe nope, never can" Jaden commented.

"How have you been Jaden? Tell us, what's new" Alexis asked.

"Well nothing much since the big stuff that happened here. I travelled around looking for more strategies and more epic duels and there was a scenario where I met up with this masked future dude in Venice who stole cards and turned them evil. I teamed up with the king of games and another future guy and won. I met Drake there too and I'm pretty sure I gained a couple of kilos" Jaden said very quickly that hardly anyone could understand what he said.

"Uhh yeah. Sounds like you've been busy" Aster replied.

"Jaden another question why are you and your new friend wearing Slifer Red uniforms, we don't go here anymore and it wasn't required" Jesse told him.

"Oh well, I wanted them to think I was a student so everyone would want to challenge me" Jaden answered.

"Typical" Chazz smirked as he said it.

Jaden and Drake looked like odd ones out in the group. Chazz was still wearing his usual sharp, black jacket and gray pants. Bastion was wearing a black suit with black pants and a red tie. He looked the most formal. Jesse is wearing a dark blue t-shirt with DA written on it as well as black cargo pants. Aster is also formal still wearing his white suit. Alexis is wearing a red tank top with light blue jeans shorts. Syrus is in a normal white t-shirt with plain creamy/brown pants. The gang introduced themselves to Drake as he introduced himself to them. When he first looked at Alexis he got a little flushed, she had a rocking body. Very…fit.

"Attention graduates please look here please" the microphone screeched through the room.

Everyone turned around to see Crowler holding the microphone awaiting everyone to be quiet. Jaden sweat dropped.

"Guess Crowler is the same too, he still looks like the same person I called Mrs. A few years ago hehe" Jaden said quietly.

Syrus, Jesse and Drake try to hold in a laugh. They constantly look down when they are about to burst to keep their gaze away from Crowler. Once everyone is quiet, Crowler began to speak.

"Welcome everyone. I'm glad a lot of you showed up for this special event we call The Gathering of the Grads or Reunion if you prefer. I know it's only been a year but I believe that you should all catch up often since you have all been through so much. Anyway I am now going to call out for this year's students to come out and sit in the arena seats and our new top student shall be personally coming down here to greet you all" Crowler said. Suddenly hoards of students filled up the seats. The next generation of Duel Academy students has arrived.

A new student came towards the group of Grads in the arena with a serious face. He has long black hair that reaches his shoulders and gives him a fringe. Large blue eyes that can intimidate if stared at. He is in Obelisk Blue.

"Who is that?" Jaden asked.

"That's Baron Kowalski, he is the new top student of Duel Academy, and from what I've heard he is undefeated and has been in over 75 duels" Bastion informed Jaden.

Jaden got fired up, all he could think about was the word undefeated. He will be the first to beat Baron. Baron stood in front of last year's Grads and smiled.

"Hehe look what we have here. Last year's Graduates, things have changed around here since you bozos have left" Baron said.

The group of graduates started to get angry. Comments were flaring from the group such as "What's that supposed to mean?" and "Jerk". Jaden looked at Baron, Baron's cocky and rude attitude makes Jaden want to beat him even more. Having too many victories in a row makes your ego go out of control and Baron's is no exception.

"Be nice Baron and greet them" Crowler told him.

"Fine. Welcome back previous duelists. I hope you can give us all a good show because otherwise this reunion is a colossal waste of time" Baron told them, and then he turned around and walked.

"Wow talk about a big mouth" Jesse said as he looked at everyone.

"What did he mean by a good show?" Alexis wondered.

"Maybe we are dueling or something" Drake said.

"As Baron said you have been called here to give everyone a good show. We are going to have a small tournament just between you graduates. The winner shall face off against this year's new top student Baron Kowalski. This is simply a fun way to show the students where you have to be to pass this school, please make good duels we don't want a bad reputation. This tournament shall begin in one week; in the meantime you will stay here. You will go back to the same dorms as you were last year. They have been reserved for you for the week. Take the time to prepare and even visit the classes, just as long as you don't distract anyone, otherwise you'll be exterminated…I mean sent back home. Good bye for now" Crowler finally finished his speech and leaves to go back to his office.

The other students go back to their usual classes while the graduates go to their rooms.

"Well I'm gonna go back up. Drake and I are in Slifer Red. Hopefully we'll see you all around" Jaden said.

"Sure thing" Syrus replied.

The others waved as they left. Jaden and Drake walked towards their room.

"This is what I've been waiting for, finally some good action haha" Jaden cheered.

Drake looked at Jaden knowing that he might have to challenge his mentor and it's going to be tough. He was no longer nervous. Now that he knows everyone, he is determined to win. This tournament is going to be one heck of a bout.

**That's it, the first chapter is done and it's introduced a couple of new guys and some previous ones. The next chapter will be the set up for the plot and mega duel that'll happen soon between two duelists, one good and one, very, very evil. I will update soon. **


	2. The Hunted

**The story will now set-up completely towards the big duel of the story. What will happen in the next seven days before the tournament?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh in any way**

It is late at night and Jaden could hardly sleep. Drake has his eyes closed and hasn't moved in over an hour. Jaden looked at the room clock, it's almost 2am. He lied in bed with his hands supporting his head on the pillow, staring into the roof thinking of how many memories he has had in this place. The room now only has one bunk bed; Jaden is sleeping on the top followed by the lightly snoring Drake on the bottom. Jaden smiled thinking of some great duels he has had. In fact that's all what Jaden mostly thinks about, he lives for this game. He can feel his eyes starting to get heavy, every time he closed his eyes, his vision blurred. He experienced the sensation of not feeling any part of your body as he becomes unconscious. It isn't long before Jaden started to snore too. Drake started to toss and turn as if he was having a bad nightmare. Drake's eyes opened up, he became fully awoken. His face had a bit of sweat on it and he was breathing heavily as if his body has been through something intense. He quietly climbed out of his bed to check on Jaden who is sleeping peacefully. He slumped back into bed looking at the window as he laid on his side. His body was tense, tense enouh that he completely was unable to sleep.

Only twenty minutes later all the way back at the Ra Yellow Dorm. Bastion was snoozing away. A shadow ran by his window. There are two others sleeping in the same room. The window broke and shattered creating a piercing noise that woke all three of them up. A black figure was standing where the window used to be.

"Who's there?" cried a Ra Yellow student.

The person was covered by a black cloak; he completely ignored the question and looked at Bastion.

"Bastion Misawa, I have chosen you to be the first of my victims and the first test subject for my deck. Duel me right now" the figure told him.

"And if I refuse?" Bastion asked.

"I'm afraid I must insist" the unknown duelist replied as a giant roaring shadow appeared behind him.

Bastion's eyes go wide with fear as he stared into the beast's eyes. The two other students ran for Crowler's room. Bastion nodded as he accepted the challenge. The two Ra Yellow students finally made it to Crowler's room. They smacked the door as hard as they could; Crowler got up furiously as he removed his beauty mask.

"What is the meaning of this racket so late?" Crowler yelled.

"Sir, our room was broken into by a stranger and now he is dueling Bastion with some kind of monster" one of them cried.

"What! There shall be no after hour duels without my permission. Let's go to the dorm" Crowler said as he started walking towards Bastion's room.

Meanwhile the strange duelist and Bastion have been dueling and Bastion goes on his knees.

"I have never seen anything like this; I've lost in only a couple of turns. I wouldn't be able to prepare for something like this deck for weeks" Bastion said to himself looking at the ground.

"It's over Bastion; your intellect hasn't saved you now. Attack!" the unknown duelist yelled as his monster blasted a beam directly at Bastion who loses all 4000 life points.

Bastion laid on the ground lifeless, knocked unconscious by the devastation of the attack. The two seemed to be in another realm, probably due to a field spell card the duelist played. Just as Crowler and the two other students entered the room they saw Bastion was lying on his bed, not moving or even breathing. They all gasped. The next morning the students woke up and went to their usual classes. The grads enjoyed the day by socializing between each other and even visiting classes. Jaden and Drake walked around looking for the rest of the group. As they got near the Ra Yellow Dorm they notice a large crowd surrounding one of the rooms. The two boys ran towards it and saw the glass windows were shattered all over the floor and the bedroom very messy. Clothes drawers on their sides, beds pulled apart, sheets and pillows all on the ground.

"What the? What happened here?" Jaden said with a stunned face.

"No one knows but there is a rumour going on around here that some kind of duel went on" Alexis answered with Jaden standing beside her.

"But this is Bastion's room, I hope he is alright" Jaden said looking at the room with a worried expression.

"I have seen everyone else except for him" Alexis told Jaden.

"We got to find him. Maybe we should ask Crowler what happened" Drake suggested.

"Good idea, let's go" Jaden replied.

The three of them ran towards Crowler's office who was pacing up and down trying to figure out what happened. His office phone rang and he answered with a worried tone.

"Hello? Yes this is Crowler speaking. How is our student?... I don't understand how someone can be hurt by a hologram that badly... Please make sure he is alright otherwise I'm ruined" Crowler said as he hung up the phone.

Jaden, Drake and Alexis got to the front door. Jaden doesn't even knock he just walked straight in. Crowler got a huge shock and hid behind his chair.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking!" Crowler yelled at Jaden with a red face of embarrassment.

"Sorry Crowler but this is an emergency. What happened to Bastion last night?" Jaden asked.

"Bastion Misawa was in a duel last night and when he found him he was unconsious. I called the ambulance and they took him to an actual hospital where they can take care of him. They just called earlier, he is ok now. He is starting to talk but I just couldn't understand how it could knock him out like that. Our DA holograms are state of the art and cannot harm people because they are NOT real" Crowler answered.

"This is strange. The good news is Bastion is ok but the bad news is there is someone in this academy that did this" Drake said.

"Yeah, but who?" Alexis wondered.

"There is not enough evidence yet to guess who it is. I bet you that whoever did this will probably strike again" Jaden said turning his head to both Alexis and Drake as he spoke.

"Listen I want you all to be completely normal, Bastion is ok for now so I suggest you ignore the incident and go back to whatever it is you were planning to do today. Now shoo I got important business to do" Crowler said as he pushed them out of his office.

The three students looked at each other puzzled. The three previous students met up with the others to discuss what has happened and what might happen. Aster, Jesse, Syrus and Chazz were all together already. Jaden and the other two joined them. Each of them questioned about what happened. Jaden explained to them what Crowler told them.

"Judging from Bastion's skill whoever defeated him is pretty good" Aster said.

"Yeah but I'm trying to figure out who could pull off such an attack. I mean the card would need a pretty powerful spirit in order to actually hurt someone" Jesse rubbed his temples as he thought really hard.

"Look we don't know enough about this duelist to guess anything. Just keep doing what you are doing. Trust me he will show up again" Jaden told them.

Both Syrus and Drake gave each other nervous glances. Night came and everyone was in their beds. Most of them couldn't sleep due to being a little afraid of this mysterious duelist. Jaden didn't seem worried one bit, he was snoozing away. Chazz is standing outside next to the light house on the coast, not nervous at all. In fact he was annoyed at the fact there is a duelist who is probably better than him.

"I'll find this unknown duelist and defeat him all on my own; he doesn't stand a chance against me. No one is better than Chazz-it-up Princeton…except maybe Jaden and Aster and…Grr" Chazz got even more angry thinking about all those defeats he suffered.

At that moment a small sound caught his attention, the sound of footsteps walking towards him. He quickly turns around.

"Who's there?" Chazz yelled.

The same black cloaked figure appeared in front of Chazz.

"It certainly ain't the boogeyman hehehe" the strange duelist smirked.

Chazz looked at him and gritted his teeth.

"Mr. Chazz Princeton. Guess what? You're my next opponent and the next to fall before my might" the duelist said to him.

"Oh yeah we'll see. You may have beaten that rookie Bastion but I'm much better than him. I'll defeat you on my own. So let's duel" Chazz told him as his duel disk activated.

"Very well. Time for you to experience the power of evil" the duelist replied as he revealed his duel disk. A design Chazz has never seen before. In fact it was glowing, surging with some kind of energy. Chazz now started to sweat, knowing that this maybe tougher than he thought.

Not long after the duel started, Chazz has almost lost all of his life points while his opponent had over 10 000 life points. Chazz had his Armed Dragon lvl 7 on the field and it's the unknown duelist's turn that has two monsters on the field. The two monsters combined to one and attack Chazz destroying his Armed Dragon lvl 7 as well as the rest of his life points. Chazz Princeton has also been defeated. Chazz too lied on the ground lifeless, unable to move. It's as if all of his energy disappeared. The black cloaked duelist dragged Chazz with him. The next day everyone realizes Chazz is missing. The situation is getting serious, especially for Crowler who is getting numerous complaints from scared students.

"This is ridiculous every night, we are losing someone we know and we don't even know who it is" Syrus said scratching his head viscously trying to figure out who is doing all this.

"Syrus is right, any one of us could be next" Drake said.

"Well let's think of some suspects" Jesse said.

"I say Crowler could be one" Jaden suggested.

"What! Why Crowler, he is our trusted chancellor and teacher" Jesse replied in shock.

"Well he has been acting strange lately, I mean first he accidently said exterminate at his speech and kicked us out when we were discussing on who did it" Jaden said.

"But it can't be because he was in his office with two other Ra Yellow students when he found Bastion who was dueling" Drake told Jaden.

The group put their heads down to think. All of a sudden Baron Kowalski came up to them.

"If it isn't the graduates, the legends of the academy, pathetic, I bet I could beat you all with my eyes closed," Baron said with a big confident grin on his face.

"Get lost Baron, we don't have time for you" Syrus said, standing up to him.

Baron just turns around without any reaction.

"I think I figured out who it is" Aster told the gang.

"Who?" Alexis asked.

"Baron Kowalski. Think about it. He is the new top student bent on winning, sees us as weak and striding to defeat us and the only people who seemed to be getting attacked are us Graduates" Aster explained.

"You're right so if Baron is behind this we better tell Crowler" Jesse said getting excited finally knowing who it is.

The group go back to Crowler to talk to him about it.

"Baron Kowalski, yeah right. How can you accuse our top student? Just because he is over confident towards you doesn't mean he is behind all this and even if he was, his deck does not contain cards that could knock out an opponent. Now if you'll excuse me I have to deal with these pestering complaints" Crowler said slamming the door in their faces.

"Guess we are going to have to deal with this ourselves" Drake said.

"Be on guard tonight everyone. If you see this duelist try and contact everyone as soon as possible" Aster told them.

"Right" everyone said back.

It is the third night and everyone is wide awake and ready for the mysterious duelist. Jaden went out at night to look for Chazz while Drake was still in bed. Aster Phoenix also left his dorm to look the duelist. His deck is powerful and believes he may be able to win with it.

"I must defeat this evil to protect my friends and with this deck. I can pull it off" Aster said to himself. The air is cool and crisp. Thankfully Aster is wearing his usual suit which traps the heat in and keeps the cold out. Jaden is on the other side of the island, looking around everywhere trying to find the person responsible for the disappearance of one and the defeat of another.

"Chazz! You out there?" Jaden constantly called out for him.

He cupped his hands together and kept trying but didn't want to be too loud to wake up everyone else. No reply. Jaden's body shivered, with a combination of cold and desperation. He felt as if he has almost lost hope. He knew now that the only way to find Chazz is to find the mysterious duelist. Jaden continues his search as Aster waits at the entrance of the Obelisk Blue Dorm expecting the black cloaked figure to arrive. Aster stood there with his arms crossed, head down and eyes closed as if he is listening to his surroundings. His duel disk is on his arm ready to go. Aster heard a noise, he opened his eyes and there stood the black-cloaked figure, the unknown duelist.

"It seems you have been expecting me Aster Phoenix" the duelist told him.

"Yes, I knew you would show up. I am not afraid of you in fact I'm determined to beat you. I'm a champion duelist and someone like you could never defeat me" Aster replied.

"Is that so? Well, champion, I promise you I won't disappoint. You may have been a champion before but compared to me your weak. I'm in a totally different, shall we say, era than you" the unknown duelist said.

Aster's face got serious. He started to question what the duelist just said. What did he mean by era, wasn't he supposed to say league? His face expression turned to a surprised one as the black cloaked duelist took off his hood revealing himself.

"No way. It's you!" Aster cried.

On the other side Jaden is still searching for the duelist unaware that one of his friend's are dueling at that moment. Jaden managed to get to the coast, actually pretty close to the Obelisk Blue Dorm. He watched the ocean as the moonlight reflected on the blue water. Jaden was troubled. He closed his eyes and looked down.

"Where are you…come out!" Jaden shouted.

Suddenly an explosion caught his attention. It came from the Obelisk Blue Dorm area. Jaden felt a sense of dread in his stomach. He ran towards it.

"I'm coming for you" Jaden said as he bolted through the forest.

Back to the duel Aster Phoenix's life points just dropped to zero, smoke surrounded him and a bruised and weakened Aster stared at his opponent. His vision is blurry and couldn't see his face properly anymore. However he did notice the duelist put the hood back on to cover his face. Aster Phoenix collapsed, his body gave in. The unknown duelist left the scene just before Jaden arrived who gasped at the sight of Aster Phoenix on the ground, injured.

"Aster! You alright?" Jaden yelled running towards him and lifting him up.

Aster didn't reply. More students came from the dorm due to being awakened by the explosion. Jaden was furious. He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"I'll find you! You hear me! I'll defeat you!"

The unknown duelists path of destruction is only beginning, little does Jaden know about what's to come as soon the real plot of the unknown duelist will be revealed.

**Bastion, Chazz and Aster have all been defeated. Who is the mysterious duelist? What deck does he have that is so powerful that it's out of this era? Find out in the next chapter where all these questions shall be answered. I will update soon.**


	3. Beginning of the End

**This is it. It is time to find out who this duelist is and what his goal is. There is plenty of action to come.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh (Original or GX) in any way.**

Aster Phoenix was sent to hospital that night as well. His condition was predicted as too severe for the doctors in the school. Aster didn't endure much physical damage other than some bruises and scrapes. He checked out as physically ok, no internal injuries at all. However his body became so weak during the duel, he fell unconscious. It was another mystery for Jaden and the rest to find out. The next couple of nights went by and no sign of the unknown duelist. No one else was challenged and still no sign of Chazz. Jaden and the others searched as a group this time but still no luck. Even Drake joined in the searching this time to help them out. Jaden is the closest person to him at the moment due to Drake not having any parents. Jaden is like a brother to him and they look out for each other. Finally the night before the tournament arrived. By then Aster Phoenix was recovering, according to the doctors there, both boys are starting to be able to speak and lightly move their body. Their tests all came out clean and healthy. They experienced a huge strain that affected the mind mostly and since the mind was affected the body felt it too.

As the last night went by Jaden was outside on the balcony thinking to himself. A small light appeared around Jaden. It was Professor Banner. Jaden had the ability to communicate with spirits.

"Jaden are you ok?" Banner asked as he appeared next to Jaden.

"Not really Professor, I'm really stressing over this person who is hurting everyone I know" Jaden replied without looking at Banner.

"I know that this is hard Jaden and we must stop whoever is behind all this. But staying up all night giving yourself headaches does not help the situation. Knowing what this duelist has done so far, it is obvious that he or she will appear again to challenge others. Please be careful Jaden" Banner said.

"Don't worry Professor, I'm ready for anything. Dueling is my game. This unknown duelist won't stand a chance" Jaden said as he gave Banner the thumbs up.

"Also I'll be right there to help him" a voice echoed.

Jaden smiled as one eye turns green and the other red. Yubel appeared as well.

"Hey Yubel, how have you been?" Jaden asked.

"I have been fine Jaden; it is you I am worried about. Judging by the defeats of your three friends this person is dangerous so don't get too overconfident if you ever face him" Yubel warned Jaden.

"No problem, I am sorry you two but I am excited and confident. I want to face this person soon because I want to see what kind of monsters lurk within the deck that is used. I'm going to have to eventually go against the duelist anyway it might as well be sooner or later, maybe I can win" Jaden told the two spirits.

Little did he realize that Drake woke up and witnessed Jaden talking to no one. Since Drake does not have the ability to see or talk to spirits he thinks that Jaden is talking to himself.

"Uh Jaden, you ok?" Drake asked.

"Oh hey, didn't know you were up" Jaden answered.

"Why are you talking to yourself? Don't tell me you've gone loopy on me" Drake responded with a louder tone than before.

"No, no. I'm talking to Yubel and Professor Banner" Jaden said back.

Drake's eyes went wide.

"You're talking to whom about what now?" Drake asked.

"I guess I never told you, I can talk to spirits usually duel monster spirits. Both Professor Banner and Yubel are here and they're just giving me warnings about how dangerous this guy we are trying to find is" Jaden answered.

"Well ok. Enjoy yourself then" Drake had a hard time believing in him. In fact ever since he knew Jaden he would sometimes catch Jaden talking to no one. He always thought it was normal but this conversation was very detailed. As if he was answering and asking questions to someone who was actually there.

Drake went back to bed and lied down. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for him, he is going to duel the best of the best. Jaden followed him. Professor Banner disappeared and became a small light again whereas Yubel joined with Jaden's spirit once again. Not long after Jaden fell asleep. The next day is the day of the tournament. Crowler continued the tournament even though two of the contestants were injured and one disappeared. He kept blabbing on about how important it is for the students to know how much they need to learn in order to pass Duel Academy. He constantly uses the phrase "stuff happens". Crowler does care about his students and would protect them from any threat but he also wants them under his thumb. The dueling arenas stands were full of students. The duelists competing have their own special spot in the crowd right next to the action. There will be numerous duels taking place at once until the semi-finals. There are 5 dueling arenas, one in the middle and four around it. Jaden is facing off against Max Stram, a Ra Yellow student, in the first round; Syrus is also dueling in the first round. Alexis and Jesse are in the next set of duels so the two are sitting, observing the duels. Drake is sitting next to them awaiting his turn which will be in the fourth set of duels. As the duelists stood in position, Drake got up which surprised Jesse and Alexis.

"Where are you going, Drake?" Jesse asked.

"I just thought of something. Something that might help us find out who the unknown duelist is. I'll be right back" Drake said as he ran out of the room and down the corridor.

Crowler stood up once again with the microphone in his hand. His voice boomed over the speakers.

"Ok duelists this shall be the first set of duels for the Gathering of the Grads tournament. Please give us a good show and good luck. We can begin as soon as we watch the video to commemorate this event" Crowler said as a video began playing on the big screen in the room.

It showed a large logo of Duel Academy, and then it showed previous legendary students such as Zane and even Jaden. An annoying narrator was talking as the video progressed explaining everything that is happening even though you could clearly see what it is. Baron was in the stands commenting on the video of how low this school has become to actually praise the dueling skills of these amateurs. His ego was huge. Drake was just walking into the arenas area again until the TV started to become static. Everyone's faced turned from bored to wide awake. Suddenly the black-cloaked figure appeared, laughing.

"It's him!" Syrus yelled.

"No way" Jesse said getting up along with Alexis.

Drake stopped moving towards the stands and stared at the screen in shook. You couldn't see the person's face, just the mouth moving up and down. The voice clearly sounded like a boy's. Even Baron Kowalski looked at the big screen with surprise.

"Hello duelists I hope you're all enjoying this little event, however I have a little announcement to make. Recently some of your so called students have been in duels which didn't end well; you can say that I had something to do with that. I am not here to talk about who I already took care of; I'm here to set up a challenge. I'm after certain students that I can't wait to duel with. There are only four left that I'm interested in, Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale, Alexis Rhodes and Jesse Anderson. I could take on others in this school, unfortunately I don't think your strong enough to withstand only one turn against me" the unknown duelist announced.

This made Baron very angry. How could this duelist expect those four to be better than him? He clenched his fists and veins started popping out.

"Tonight shall be the beginning of the end. I will be around crushing all my opponents and if any other students or teachers wish to face me I'll be happy to do that to you too. Good bye for now" the unknown duelist finished up as the screen turned multi coloured.

Everyone wasn't moving. Jaden made a few remarks afterwards.

"We'll see about that. I'll make sure I'm ready to face you" Jaden said as he got off the dueling arena.

Jaden, Syrus, Alexis, Jesse and Drake all got together.

"Can you believe it?" Drake asked.

"He sure wants to make himself known now" Alexis said.

"This is it, tonight is the night. We are going to duel him. We have to make sure we are prepared" Jesse said.

"Hold on did you guys realize something about that video" Drake told them.

"What do you mean?" Syrus asked.

"I mean where that guy was. Didn't you look behind him? The place looks familiar" Drake replied.

Crowler walked up to the group.

"What are you all doing? Come on we have to continue this otherwise we'll have chaos in the school" Crowler said.

"That's it!" Jaden shouted.

"What?" Alexis asked.

"That room, I recognize it, I've been in it so many times. It's in Chancellor Crowler's office" Jaden answered.

"What! No one can go into my office without me in it" Crowler yelled as he ran towards it.

"Students stay there. I'll be right back" Crowler said into the microphone as he dropped it and ran out.

Baron left the seat and decided to follow them. When they reached the office they saw something or someone they did not expect. Chazz Princeton is lying against the wall.

"Chazz, wake up!" Jaden said as he shook him violently.

In the office is also the video camera that records announcements in the room and places it on the screen. Crowler looked at the camera and opened it up revealing a tape. The unknown duelist wasn't in here when the announcement was going, it was just a recording. As Jaden shook Chazz more he slowly opened his eyes, he was still really weakened. Baron Kowalski walked inside.

"Humph what's going on in here?" Baron asked.

"This doesn't concern you Baron" Jesse replied.

"According to the announcement it does, I am the best in this school at what I do and I'm certainly better than all four of you" Baron said.

"Just lay off, we have to take Chazz to a doctor" Syrus snapped.

Baron walked out as they took Chazz to the medical centre in the school to take care of him as much as they can. It didn't look good. The tournament has been delayed for a few days just until the situation is under control. Nightfall fell upon the island. Jaden and the gang prepare for tonight. Jaden puts on his due disk and inserts his deck. Drake also puts on his duel disk and even puts on a red and white cap on.

"What's with the cap?" Jaden asked.

"A new style" Drake replied with a smile.

Jaden didn't pay much attention to it. Once the clock hit 9, they all went out to search for the unknown duelist. Jaden and Drake looked around the forest. Alexis and Jesse searched the coastline and Syrus sneaked through the dorms. An hour of looking hasn't done anything. Drake and Jaden decided to quicken things up a bit by splitting up. Syrus bumped into Jaden in the forest and together the two keep looking.

"This is going to take all night. This duelist could be hiding from us" Syrus said with a look of despair on his face.

"Remember Sy he said it himself on the tape that he would be dueling us tonight and I'm positive he is sticking to it" Jaden said back as he flashes the torch light at the surrounding trees.

Suddenly Jaden and Syrus hear Alexis' scream followed by a light explosion. They quickly run towards where the sound came from. As they broke through the bushes they see Alexis and Jesse on the ground, both injured with burns all over their body.

"Jesse, Alexis what happened?" Jaden cried as he lifted Jesse up and Syrus lifted up Alexis.

"Jaden he took it" Jesse said.

"Who took what?" Jaden asked.

"Rainbow Dragon" Jesse answered.

Jaden gasped.

"He didn't duel us at all, he attacked us with a real monster. It looked like a duel monster" Alexis continued.

"Which way did he go?" Jaden asked.

Jesse and Alexis both pointed west of their position. Jaden wanted to go but he was too concerned about their wellbeing.

"Go Jaden we will be fine. We only got hit by the shockwave of the blast. Be careful of that hologram he has, it hurts" Jesse told him as he slowly got up along with Alexis.

"Are you sure?" Jaden wanted to make sure that they'll really be ok without him.

Jesse nodded.

"I promise, I'll win" Jaden told them as he started running west. Syrus followed him. Jesse and Alexis headed back towards the academy to disinfect and cover the burns.

Jaden is still running until he makes it out of the forest and out on a hill on the coastline. Right on the edge he sees someone.

"Alright I finally found you. Now let's duel" Jaden said to him.

The person didn't turn around. Syrus caught up, he had his hands on his kneecaps as he breathed heavily. He looked up and also saw the person.

"Turn around" Jaden yelled at him.

The person slowly turned around. He is dressed in a Slifer Red uniform and wearing a red and white cap. His head is down so his face isn't shown.

"No way, it can't be" Jaden said in shock.

The duelist lifts up his face and chuckles.

"Drake!" Jaden shouts in disbelief.

Syrus gasps, both of their faces stunned by who it is.

"Finally you have figured it out Jaden Yuki hehehe, now the fun can really begin" Drake said.

Jaden can't move his best friend has now become his enemy. Drake looks a little different his eyes have a reddish colour to it. His face looks a lot meaner, more evil. At last Jaden talked.

"Drake, how can you be the unknown duelist? It doesn't make sense" Jaden said.

"It makes total sense Jaden, every time you went out to search for this duelist I was never around you, I took out each and every one you knew behind your back. I even recorded the tape and placed it into the office. I wore a black cloak to hide my identity until the time is right to reveal myself to you and now it is perfect" Drake explained.

"Why are you doing this?" Jaden asked.

"I don't have time to play twenty questions with you Jaden, it's time for us to duel" Drake replied as his duel disk activated.

Jaden recognizes the duel disk but can't remember where he had seen it before. The duel disk glowed purple; it had an energy surging through it. Jaden is full of confusion and disappointment. However he knows he has no choice.

"Fine Drake, you want to duel then let's go. Get ready to get your game on" Jaden said as he activates his duel disk.

Syrus walked backwards to be away from all the action, he is about to witness a duel that decides that fate of this world.

The life point meter appears.

**Note: At the end of every turn you will see an info chart during the duel saying how much life points each duelist has and how much cards are in their hand as well as banished monsters.**

_Drake: 4000lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in hand: 5 Cards in Hand: 5 _

_Banished: 0 Banished: 0_

"Even if you are my friend I'll beat you Drake" Jaden told him.

Stop calling me that, my name is no longer Drake; I have decided to call myself Malice. I think it's perfect; it defines what I'm trying to do. Ill will, I'm intending to harm others, what do you think of the choice hehehe? Anyway I'll go first" Malice said as he draws a card.

He smiles as he looks at his hand.

"I think I'll activate the field spell, Malefic World" Malice said.

Jaden couldn't believe it. The card activates covering the surroundings in a mystical space-like multi coloured background.

"I believe you remember this card very well Jaden" Malice tells him.

Syrus is freaking out as he looks around him.

"What is this place? I've never heard of that card before" Syrus said.

"How did you get your hands on that card, it's impossible, tell me everything" Jaden demands.

"Very well, I'll explain it. Do you remember Paradox?" Malice asked.

"Paradox?" Jaden replied as he gets flashbacks of the duel with him, Yugi and Yusei against Paradox and his Malefic monsters.

"Yeah I remember him" Jaden said.

"You see before he attacked the city and you he had a plan of his own. If anything were to happen to him in which he cannot complete his mission he wanted someone else to continue his work. He chose me, me, out of all people. He told me everything, why he was here and how he time travelled to this time. To be honest I was quite intrigued. He shared with me the secrets on how to create real duel monsters; he even gave me the device to do it. The monsters are locked in capsules that I have with me and can be released whenever I wish. The most important factor however is he gave me a copy of his Malefic deck" Malice explained.

"I should have known that future freak would have something to do with this. Still, why do you use this knowledge you've gained for evil purposes?" Jaden asked.

"You're so naïve Jaden; I am not accomplishing an evil purpose. I'll spare you the clichés and tell you I'm not interested in destroying the world or taking over it. If I destroy it, there'll be nothing left for me to do and if I take over it, once I die my reign will be over. So I made a decision to use this great power I've gained to change the world" Malice answered.

"Change it!" Jaden replied in shock.

"Exactly. This world is full of corruption. Each human infected by sin. Anger, greed, lust and jealousy, are all major parts of today's society causing the innocent to suffer and even take their own lives when pushed to their limits. I have taken it upon myself to wipe out the human race and all of its impurities and give the world a chance to start over again. That is what I mean by changing the world Jaden, my actions will last forever. I've always wanted to do something about it and now I finally have the power necessary to do what is right for everyone" Malice exposed his plans, he spoke as if he was talking from his heart. Jaden knew Malice was serious.

"Sorry Drake, I mean Malice, as much as what you said may be true, you have no right to judge anyone. What gives you the authority to cause the end of the world?" Jaden wondered as he stared into Malice's eyes which were dark and blank as if Drake had no soul anymore.

"Fate Jaden, that's my answer. I am who I am and everyone knows it. Why was I given this power if I wasn't meant to do what I always wanted the world to be? Enough chit chat! I have things to do and as far as I'm concerned if you are against me in to changing the world, you're an enemy Jaden and I must kill you. Let's begin this duel" Malice said as he stares into his hand again.

"I banish Cyber End Dragon from my extra deck which means Malefic Cyber End Dragon now appears!" Malice shouted as the giant three-headed cybernetic dragon appeared displaying a colossal attack power of 4000 on the first turn.

"Next I set 1 card face down and end my turn" Malice said.

Jaden looks at the field. Already Malice has a 4000 attack monster and a trap or spell card face-down. He knew himself this could get very rough. He is the only person standing in the way of the end of civilization.

"You can do it Jaden! Win this duel" Syrus cheered.

"I'll do my best Sy" Jaden replied giving him thumbs up.

Jaden's attention went straight to his hand as he tries to figure out what move he should do. Yubel appears next to him along with Banner. These two spirits are kind of like guardians to Jaden.

"Be careful Jaden, remember how powerful this deck was when you faced it last time, except this time Yugi and Yusei are no longer here to help" Banner told Jaden.

Yubel looks at Jaden worried for him. She holds her hand to her heart, wishing he would be ok.

"Jaden if you ever need us we are here" Yubel told him.

"Thanks Yubel" Jaden replied as the two disappeared.

"They're right, last time I had the King of games and the future guy to help me and we hardly were able to win with all three of us now I'm alone and if I can't get my game on, I may be dueling my last duel" Jaden thought to himself as he stared into the eyes of his new enemy who is smiling at Jaden with full confidence of his victory.

**The epic duel has begun. It'll take two chapters to get through it and it may be written differently. Do you agree with Malice's motives? I will update soon.**


	4. Return of the Future Darkness pt 1

**The next three chapters will be about the duel. Real cards will be used and also brand new ones have been created for this duel. I'll explain the new ones during the story; also some cards are made stronger in this duel. However at the end I'll list all the new ones that have been created with OCG ruled effects otherwise some effects are too broken. Also there will be at times, anime rules and cards will be used such as setting a monster face up in defense or playing a card that is only in the show or having more than one Malefic on the field. Anyway enjoy the duel as it took over 5 hours of planning. After each of them make a move an End Phase stat will appear showing how much life points each have, how many cards in hand and how many banished, the rest needs to be read to know what is on the field. I didn't put graveyard in because there is no need to remember how many monsters are in the graveyard. But there is a reason why the banished pile is there.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh in any way**

It was Jaden's turn and already this move had to count, with a monster as powerful as Malefic Cyber End Dragon on the field Jaden needed to come up with something incredible. Malice was waiting impatiently for Jaden to make a move.

"I'm waiting" Malice told Jaden.

"He must be overwhelmed already, he knows as much as I do that against this type of deck, he can't win on his own and has no chance" Malice thought to himself.

At last Jaden came up with a move.

"Alright first I'll set 1 monster face down and then set 2 more cards face-down on the field. That'll do it for now" Jaden said.

_1__st__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 4000lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 3 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 1 Banished: 0_

Malice drew and looked at the card and smiled. He knew Jaden had never seen this card before and was looking forward to the expression on his face.

"Jaden the next card I'm about to play is a Malefic monster that you haven't seen yet" Malice told him.

"Say what? I thought Paradox played all his monsters" Jaden replied stunned at the idea of what other monsters could possibly been infected by darkness.

"Wrong, Paradox hardly played anything in his deck. Otherwise he wouldn't have lost to you three. In fact I've improved his deck with stronger and more effective cards. Malefics are mostly a dragon-based deck with the exception of a couple of machine types however Paradox also expanded the archetype to other types and this next monster is definitely a good choice as it's Yugi's favourite monster!" Malice explained as he lifted his right hand up with the card in it.

Jaden looked up, his body shook in fear. He knew exactly what monster was coming.

"I banish Dark Magician from my deck in order to special summon Malefic Dark Magician" Malice yelled in excitement as the monster appeared on the battlefield.

It looked like the original Dark Magician except some parts of its clothing show patterns of the Malefic pattern of black and white as well as wearing a mask that looks like Paradox's.

"It's Yugi's monster, but how did he get it?" Syrus wondered as he stared at it.

"I assure you Jaden that this darker version of Yugi's favourite monster is a lot more powerful than the original. For example this monster allows me to move any spell card in my deck directly to my hand as soon as it's special summoned" Malice told Jaden.

"Any spell card" Jaden said wide-eyed.

Malice looked through his deck deciding on which one he wanted. He found it and added it to his hand, and then he reshuffled his deck and put it back in the duel disk.

"Alright since I'm pretty sure I'm safe from anything you throw in my way I'm going to attack your face-down defense monster and crush any defenses you have. Attack Malefic Dark Magician with Dark Magic Attack," Malice said as he pointed to Jaden's monster.

The monster attacked which fliped Jaden's monster. It's Dandylion. The monster is destroyed.

"You've sent Danydlion to the graveyard which means its special ability activates. I can special summon two Fluff Tokens in face-up defense however I can't tribute them" Jaden said as two Fluff Tokens appeared on the field.

"Also you've activated my trap card, Hero Signal. By sending a monster from my field to the graveyard by battle I can special summon 1 level 4 or lower Elemental Hero monster from my hand or deck so I special summon E-Hero Avian in defense mode. Now I have three monsters guarding my life points" Jaden said as he smiled and held his clenched fist up.

"Good move Jaden, now you have time to strategize" Syrus told him.

"Bravo Jaden, but so what if you have an army of weak monsters, you know as well as I do that they can't last long against my beasts especially when one of them can still attack. Now Malefic Cyber End Dragon attack Jaden's E-Hero Avian" Malice said.

Malefic Cyber End Dragon's attack was blasted out of its mouth. Three fire balls with 4000 attack power with them are heading straight towards Avian.

"Sorry but you forgot about my other face-down card, Hero Barrier! If I have a face-up Elemental Hero on my side of the field I can negate your attack" Jaden replied.

"You think I'll allow you to stop my attack. I activate my face down card, Dark Bribe" Malice said.

"What? Oh no!" Jaden cried as Dark Bribe negated the effect of Hero Barrier which allowed Malefic Cyber End Dragon's attack to destroy Avian.

"Dark Bribe is one of my favourites. Negating any spell or trap card you activate however you get to draw 1 card. You're lucky your monster was in defense mode otherwise you would have suffered serious damage" Malice said to Jaden with a giant evil smirk on his face.

Malice ended his turn. At the moment the duel isn't going Jaden's way. If the field was observed, Jaden was playing defensive while Malice was in control with an all-out attack method. Standing next to Syrus was Banner and Yubel who were also watching; ready to assist Jaden in whichever way they can. Syrus couldn't see them at all due to not being able to see spirits like Jaden could. Syrus was stressed out, the duel has been intense for his best friend so far. Tension was in the air for Jaden's side as he drew.

"So far I can't do anything, all I can do now is play defense and hopefully something comes up that can help me win" Jaden thought as he looked at his hand.

"I summon E-Hero Clayman in defense position and that'll do it for now" Jaden said as he ended his turn.

_2__nd__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 4000lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 4 Cards in Hand: 4_

_Banished: 2 Banished: 0_

"Well done Jaden, other than that weakling Aster you are the second person to pass by two turns without losing. He was a little more of a challenge than the others but still failed and so will you. My turn" Malice said as he drew his card and looked at his hand, he knew exactly what to do.

"Yugi's monster is on the field and now his greatest rival's monster is about to fight beside him. I banish Blue-eyes White Dragon from my deck to special summon its dark counterpart, Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Malice shouted as the awesome dragon creature entered the battlefield.

Three super-powerful monsters now stood in front of Jaden awaiting their command to blast him to the next millennium. Jaden stood tall; he won't give up even if things looked bleak. Banner was sweating, calling out to Jaden to be careful in panic.

"Next I'll activate the spell card called Future Renewal" Malice said.

"I've never heard of that card before" Jaden stated.

"That's because it's a card from the future one of the many advantages of time travel. You see I have to discard my entire hand but on my 2nd standby phase I can draw 5 cards" Malice explained.

"That is a good card, especially for drawing" Syrus said.

Malice sent all his cards to the graveyard. He was very assured of himself that his three monsters will last until his 2nd standby phase after Future Renewal's activation.

"As long as my field spell is out my Malefic monsters cannot be stopped. They'll crush you and any hope you have. Attack all three of his monsters my beasts" Malice declared.

White Lightning, Dark Magic and Triple Strident Blaze all collided with each of Jaden's monsters and wiped them all out. Jaden's field was empty, he had no cards left to protect his lift points and Malice only needed to attack with one to win the duel.

"When the dueling gets tough the tough get dueling. I draw" Jaden said as he tried to come up with a strategy.

Jaden looked at the field; Malice had three monsters, no face-down cards and no cards in his hand. All he has to do was wipe out his monsters and he could turn this duel around. Once again he stared into his hand. Jaden realized that he did have the cards to start taking control of this duel. His face changed from worried to confident, there was still hope and it's too early in the duel to give up. Yubel also smiled, this caught Banner's attention.

"What is it Yubel?" Banner asked.

"Jaden has a plan I can feel it" Yubel answered.

Banner looked back at the duel, he too believed in what Yubel said since Jaden was standing tall in front of a force that seemed unstoppable.

"What's so amusing Jaden? It's becoming quite irritating you standing there being happy, just make your move" Malice said with his arms crossed and with a very annoyed expression on his face.

"I'm just enjoying the moment. Knowing that what I'm standing up against is going to be gone in this turn" Jaden replied.

This caught Malice's attention, he broke his crossed arms and his mouth opened a little in curiosity.

"Oh really, then let's see this move" Malice snarled.

"Ok then, first I summon Elemental Hero Stratos to the field. This guy has two effects although I can't use its first effect since I don't have any other E-Hero monsters on the field so I'll activate it's second effct by adding 1 Hero monster from my deck to my hand. I chose Elemental Hero Neos. Next I'll activate the spell card R-Righteous Justice. This card allows me to destroy spell or trap cards equal to the number of face-up Elemental Hero cards I control and I count one so I can destroy 1 spell or trap on your side of the field" Jaden explained.

"What!" Malice exclaimed.

"I recall you saying that as long as your field spell is on the field your monsters reign supreme. Well what would happen if I destroyed it" Jaden proclaimed to Malice.

"No, I need my Malefic World field spell to beat Jaden" Malice snapped.

"Sorry but you'll have to say adios to your field spell" Jaden said.

R-Righteous Justice effect activated. It destroyed Malefic World and since there wasn't a field spell in play anymore the Malefic monsters are automatically destroyed. Malice's field was wiped out clean. Malice's eyes went wide; he couldn't believe Jaden pulled it off. His once powerful side was all gone and with his Malefic World gone he couldn't activate its effect to draw a Malefic card out random from his deck. It would have helped to use it earlier but he didn't think he'd need it yet. He was open for a direct attack.

"E-Hero Stratos attack Malice directly!" Jaden commanded.

The monster headed directly for Malice and punched him causing his life points to be decreased by 1800. Malice was lightly pushed back by the attack. He was also surprised about what just happened. The duel was back in the open since Malefic world was no longer in play the night sky could be seen again. Syrus looked up with a big open mouthed smile.

"Way to go Jaden" Syrus said.

"Thanks Sy, I finally figured the weakness of his monsters" Jaden replied

Malice was furious yet happy at the same time.

"Congratulations Jaden you are the first to attack me directly and cause any damage to my life points. I shouldn't have been so careless but this duel is far from over, you'll need more than one good move to defeat me" Malice responded to Jaden's move.

Jaden looked at him and nodded his head. He set 1 card face-down and ended his turn.

_3__rd__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 2200lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 0 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 3 Banished: 0_

Malice was the one who was unsure of what to do. This change in the duel was exactly what Jaden needed to build more courage to defeat Malice. Malice on the other hand maybe a little surprised but was happy that he was finally challenged and was looking forward to revealing more of his deck to Jaden. It's his move and as he looked at the card he drew it caused him to laugh like a maniac stating that the duel still may go back to his control.

"I set 1 card face down, that's all I need to do" Malice said ending his turn.

Jaden couldn't quite make out what Malice was trying to do. Syrus kept cheering Jaden on and both of the spirits were fully concentrating on the duel hoping that Jaden didn't make a mistake. Jaden drew.

"Alright I think I'll summon Elemental Hero Prisma" Jaden said.

"Not so fast I activate my trap, Bottomless Trap Hole. Remove your monster" Malice told Jaden just as his Prisma was summoned.

E-Hero Prisma was banished and Jaden only had one monster on the field. The trap card saved Malice from losing all of his life points. Jaden told E-Hero Stratos to attack Malice directly again causing Malice to lose another 1800 life points.

_4__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 400lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 0 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 3 Banished: 1_

"Alright Jaden has almost won. Just one more attack and this duel is over" Syrus said as he moved a couple of steps closer to the duel. Only Syrus was happy, everyone else was looking at Malice who isn't worried one bit with serious faces.

Malice was standing straight looking directly at Jaden. He drew a card.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about a certain card that is about to activate or shall I remind you, my Future Renewal lets me draw 5 new cards" Malice alerted Jaden in a calm manner as Malice drew a full hand of 6 cards. For him a new strategy could commence.

"First I'll activate the Hand Replenishing spell card. For each card in my hand my life points increase by 200 and I count 5 giving me a 1000 life point increase" Malice said as his life point meter went up.

"I'm not done yet next I'll set 3 cards face-down then I shall end my turn" Malice continued.

Jaden has to deal with three face-down spell or trap cards. He has little idea of how dangerous they can be. Jaden drew and came up with another little plan of his.

"I summon Dark Catapulter in defense mode and I attack your life points directly with E-Hero Stratos, you've lost" Jaden declared.

E-Hero Stratos headed straight towards Malice's life points and if the monster made contact Jaden wins. Malice's evil smile got even bigger.

"You think it'll be that easy I activate my trap Misguided Arrow, it doesn't allow you to attack me directly this turn. Hahaha you're a fool if you think you'll even win this. You are messing with forces you cannot comprehend my old friend" Malice raved as if the evil he had within his heart was growing even stronger and his thirst for completing his goal got even more intense.

"Doesn't matter, I have Dark Catapulter face-up which means I can destroy a spell or trap card on your side of the field. That way it won't allow you to activate any cards that'll allow you to special summon Malefic monsters" Jaden told him.

"Yes but that's not until next turn and Dark Catapulter won't be around that long for you see I have a card that'll remove any weaknesses from my Malefics and I will activate it once your turn has ended" Malice responded as he awaited for anything else that Jaden might do.

"I'll set 1 card face-down and that's it for me" Jaden said.

_5__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 1400lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 2 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 3 Banished: 1_

Malice drew and set up his assault. He prepared to activate his remaining face-down cards. Malice became confident once again, he survived through the hard turns after his previous setback.

"First I activate the continuous spell card Dark Regeneration. If I have a dark attribute monster with an attack power of 2500 or more my life points increase by 1000 for each monster that fits into that category and as you know every Malefic is equal or beyond that. Next I activate the continuous trap that'll cause some major problems for you, Skill Drain. By paying 1000 life points I can negate all face-up effects on the field which means my monsters' _no field spell rule_ doesn't apply anymore and you know what that means" Malice said.

"Yeah it means you can summon your Malefics again and your continuous spell will increase your life points" Jaden replied feeling down again. If Malice was free to release his monsters more trouble was about to arise.

"The next Malefic monster I'm about to summon is once again a new one and believe me when I tell you it is even more fierce than the ones you have seen already" Malice told Jaden.

"Hold up how do you know which cards were played during the duel?" Jaden asked.

"Because I was there in the background, you may not have seen me but I was. I saw every card Paradox played and I have to admit you didn't even see a scratch of the power within this archetype. His deck wasn't greatly designed either and I improved on it. I knew for a fact that I could defeat each of you easily. Paradox failed and when he was killed I stood proudly above everyone there on top of the building. It was my destiny to finish what he started" Malice answered.

"That explains it, go on play the card" Jaden insisted.

"No problem, I banish Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon from my extra deck to special summon Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Malice shouted in excitement.

The three-headed blue dragon arose in front of Jaden each wearing a Paradox-like-mask on the top of their heads and wings.

"Oh man the fusion of all three blue-eyes also has a Malefic form" Jaden cried.

"Oh man dealing with just the regular version was tough enough but the fusion" Syrus said quivering.

"This doesn't look good, Jaden has to deal with even stronger cards" Banner said.

"Don't think negative Banner, Jaden is more skilled than you think" Yubel told him.

Banner watched without commenting, he did believe in Jaden but he fought with his feelings. On one side he felt Jaden could win but the on the other side he felt that Jaden will be crushed by a card that is over a 100 years too early to be played.

"Before I attack your monster I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy 1 of your face-down cards" Malice said.

The quick spell wiped out Jaden's negate attack card leaving him with one more card face-down and two monsters.

"As much as I would like to crush your Dark Catapulter I don't have to since its effect is negated due to Skill Drain so I'll attack E-Hero Stratos. Attack him!"Malice demanded.

Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is building up its energy for its neutron blast.

"Hold up something with an attack power of 4500 must have some kind of downside effect" Jaden said.

"It does, when I attack with it, its attack is reduced by 1000 however since I have Skill Drain out it negates that effect so my monster attacks with its full strength" Malice replied.

Jaden gritted his teeth and groaned as the blast headed towards Elemental Hero Stratos.

"I activate my spell card Defense Formation. If your attack is going to cause battle damage it automatically switches my monster from attack to defense before your attack strikes" Jaden said as his monster took a defensive position.

Elemental Hero Stratos was destroyed but Jaden's life points, thankfully, were safe. Malice ended his turn without commenting. Jaden drew and activated Pot of Greed letting him draw two cards.

"I'll set 1 more card face-down and end my turn" Jaden said.

_6__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 400lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 1 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 4 Banished: 1 _

Malice smiled and chuckled.

"My life points increase by 1000 due to having a monster that fits into Dark Regeneration's rule and now I'll activate the Pot of Greed just like you did giving me two more cards" Malice told Jaden as he drew two more cards.

Jaden felt the despair feeling again. He sighed often. Everyone, including Jaden, knew he was in real trouble, in fact he looked as though he has already lost.

"I banish Rainbow Dragon from my deck and as you have seen before I can special summon Malefic Rainbow Dragon" Malice shouted as the sky gave off a rainbow aura as the monster appeared.

Malice had two monsters on the field both 4000 and above in attack. They just kept on coming making it more difficult for Jaden to counter them.

"I would say you put up a good fight only you didn't. Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attack Dark Catapulter!" Malice bawled and pointed his finger at Jaden's monster.

"Jaden look out" Syrus yelled with his hands cupped.

Banner and Yubel were tensed up.

The triple, blue electrical attack destroyed Dark Catapulter but since he was in defense mode Jaden took no damage. Malice laughed.

"So what if you didn't lose any life points, you stopped one attack however you only have 4000 life points and my Malefic Rainbow Dragon has 4000 attack which means all I have to do is attack you directly and you'll lose" Malice told Jaden.

Jaden looked at him and smiled saying the one sentence that Malice didn't expect.

"Go for it" Jaden said.

Malice grunted in surprise. He didn't think at all about the face down card, his mind was filled with anticipation for victory.

"Attack Malefic Rainbow Dragon, finish him off" Malice roared in anger.

Malefic Rainbow Dragon's rainbow coloured energy stream came out of it's mouth, heading right towards Jaden.

"Jaden!" Syrus cried.

Banner and Yubel were ready to step in to help.

"Sorry but you should know me by now that it's not easy to defeat me either. I activate my quick spell card, The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh" Jaden said.

"No way" Malice cried.

"Yes way, this card lets me special summon 1 Kuriboh or Winged Kuriboh from my deck and you know what that means. Your attack is blocked and I'll take no damage" Jaden added.

Winged Kuriboh is special summoned to the field in defense mode taking the hit, Malefic Rainbow Dragon's attack failed to secure victory for Malice. Malice was more annoyed than concerned. Jaden's card didn't do any harm to his field; he knew that his opponent was just stalling.

"I'll end my turn at that" Malice said.

"Fine I draw" Jaden said as he drew.

Jaden didn't have much of a hand anymore; he needed a card that'll help him out. Unfortunately he didn't get the card he needed but it could do something. Jaden set one card face down and ended his turn.

_7__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 1400lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 2 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 5 Banished: 1_

Malice drew and looked at Jaden.

"Pathetic, he is relying on one card to save him. My two monsters will see his downfall" Malice thought to himself.

"My life points increase by 2000 due to having two strong dark monsters on the field. I've almost reached the same amount of life points I started with and I'll go beyond that. Go Malefic Rainbow Dragon get rid of his life points" Malice said.

Once again Rainbow Dragon's attack headed towards Jaden. The graduate Slifer Red duelist had another trick up his sleeve.

"You've activated my trap Waboku; I take no battle damage this turn" Jaden said as the attack hit but didn't do anything.

"You're persistent, I'll end my turn" Malice said.

Jaden drew and looked at his hand. There was a way to take out the two Malefics on Malice's side of the field and the stalling has given him the cards to do it.

"First I'll activate the spell card Neo-Spacian Awakening. It allows me to special summon a Neo-Spacian and fusion material monster from my hand for this turn and I'm going to chose Elemental Hero Neos and Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab. I'm going to special summon the Elemental Hero Flare Neos from my extra deck to the field by using Contact Fusion, so I send Neos and Flare Scarab back into my deck and reshuffle" Jaden said as E-Hero Neos and Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab fuse to form a new monster.

"I activate the spell Trap Paralysis. It is a good trap that negates 1 face-up trap card that affects a monster that I have on the field and this effect lasts until your Skill Drain is destroyed. Also when it is sent to the graveyard I can draw cards equal to how many monsters you have on the field. I count 2 so I can draw 2 cards" Jaden explained as he drew 2 more cards.

"I'm not done yet. I'm going to use both cards in my hand. First I'll activate Instant Neo-Space and equip it to my E-Hero Flare Neos, now he won't be sent back to my extra deck at the end of this turn and I'll also set 1 card face down. Time for my monster's effect to do it's thing, for each spell and trap card on the field he gains 400 attack and I count 4 which means Elemental Hero Flare Neos' attack increases by 1600 and he is more powerful than your Malefic Rainbow Dragon" Jaden explained his whole turn to Malice.

"What a move" Syrus commented.

"Alright perhaps Jaden can win this" Banner said in a happy tone.

Malice was looking at Jaden with a serious face, secretly he was impressed but on the other hand he wasn't. Jaden was too focused on his move that he didn't notice something that had to do with the difference in attacks.

"Go E-Hero Flare Neos, attack Malefic Rainbow Dragon!" Jaden shouted in excitement.

Jaden's monster obliterated the dark dragon which caused Malice to lose 100 life points.

"Come on Malice even you have to admit that was a sweet move" Jaden carried on.

"As impressive as you may think that was you forgot one important factor. Your Trap Paralysis only negates my Skill Drain on YOUR monster however all my monsters are still affected which means my Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon still has 4500 attack more than enough to destroy your Flare Neos" Malice told him.

Jaden ended his turn.

_8__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 3300lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 3 Cards in Hand: 0_

_Banished: 5 Banished: 1_

Malice drew a card.

"I activate Allure of Darkness, I draw 2 cards but I must banish 1 dark monster from my hand. Also since I still have my Malefic monster out I gain another 1000 life points. Attack his Flare Neos my dragon!" Malice exclaimed.

Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared as its mighty blast powered up. Jaden watched as the three blue beams left the mouths and targeted E-Hero Flare Neos. Jaden's posture slightly bent over but when the attack was released he stood up to it with a big grin and quickly wipeed his itchy nose with his right index finger.

"Not so fast, I have my face down card remember and it's going to turn things around for me. I activate Trap Stun. This card negates all other trap cards on the field and since your Skill Drain doesn't apply to your monster it's attack weakens by 1000 due to its effect" Jaden yelled in excitement as Malice gasped loudly.

Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon decreased from 4500 to 3500 making it weaker than E-Hero Flare Neos who counter attacked by surviving the dragon's attack and striking right back, destroying Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and decreasing Malice's life points by 600. Malice's field was empty again. Malice couldn't believe it, Jaden was actually winning.

"I'm not going to let this twerp make me look weak. I'll take him down" Malice mumbled with rage.

Malice set 1 card face down and ended his turn. Jaden drew and without thinking ordered Elemental Hero Flare Neos to attack Malice directly.

"Your evil ways will never come to pass" Jaden stated as the attack came nearer to Malice.

"I activate Negate Attack, a card you were going to use on me at the start of the duel" Malice said as Flare Neo's attack is negated and the battle phase ended. Jaden ended his turn, disappointed that the attack didn't hit. Jaden knew that it wasn't over yet not for a duelist as highly skilled as Malice.

_9__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 3700lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 3 Cards in Hand: 1_

_Banished: 6 Banished: 1_

"It's time for me to destroy your monster and I have just the cards to do it, so I draw" Malice drew his card and was quite impressed, it added to his strategy.

"First I activate the spell Malefic Divide which lets me bring back 1 Malefic monster from my graveyard for this turn and I choose Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Next I'll activate another spell card called Gift of the Black Hearted. With this card I can tribute a dark monster and its attack points are transferred to my life points" Malice said as his life points increased from 3700 all the way to 6700.

"Oh no, his life points have far surpassed Jaden's" Syrus cried.

Jaden frowned and gave off a low grunt as Malice chuckled again. It was a deep, gruff chuckle.

"I'm not done yet, next I'll obliterate your monster. So I'll banish Stardust Dragon from my extra deck to the graveyard so I can special summon the incredible Malefic Stardust Dragon" Malice yelled as if he had won the battle.

"Hold up I don't think you've noticed but my monster is still much stronger than yours, there are still 3 spell/trap cards on the field and you know that my monster increases by 400 for each of them so his attack is still 3700" Jaden informed.

"I still have one card left to play and it's a lethal one. In fact it is supposed to do more harm to the user rather than the opponent but in this case, it'll help me much more than you because I activate a very good spell card called Heavy Monster Storm and it will change a few things on the field. Firstly I must target one of my own monsters and negate its effect for this turn which you know already helps me to keep my monster on the field. Next I must destroy every spell or trap card on the field depending on how many stars my monster has and since it has eight stars and there are only three out they're all destroyed weakening your monster back to 2500 hahaha" Malice explained his card as it took effect, Skill Drain, Dark Regeneration and Instant Neos Space are sent to the graveyard decreasing E-Hero Flare Neos attack to 2500 exactly the same as Malefic Stardust Dragon.

"Oh great he can be destroyed. Wait a minute, they're attack power are the same which means it is highly unlikely that Malice will attack since both of them will lose in battle and be destroyed. I hardly think he'll destroy his own monster. So all I have to do is set a card face down so it'll increase my Flare Neos and it will be strong enough to attack his monster" Jaden thought as he looked at Malice who had his arms crossed.

"If you think for one second that I'm not going to attack you're wrong, your E-Hero Flare Neos will cause trouble later if I leave it so I'm going to take this chance and attack. Malefic Stardust Dragon attack with Shooting Sonic!" Malice called out his voice louder in tone as he ordered the attack.

Jaden was caught completely by surprise. He didn't expect an attack. Malefic Stardust Dragon's Shooting Sonic beamed out of its mouth and Elemental Hero Flare Neos shot out his fire attack, both get hit and both are destroyed. The field has been cleaned with neither duelist having any cards on the field.

"It won't be long before your downfall Jaden, you have no idea what horrors still lurk in my deck. For surviving this long you'll learn that the hard way! Hehehe" Malice told a frightened Jaden who stood frozen in front of Malice.

**Phew that was a long one and yet it is only part 1 of the duel. I told you it is worth it and there is plenty more to come, I'm judging that the next two also have this many cards played and more. Don't miss out on the next part; can Jaden pull off a good move in his turn? Find out soon. I will update eventually.**


	5. Return of the Future Darkness pt 2

**It is time for part 2. Please excuse the large amount of drawing power cards, I want them to both reveal almost every card in their deck and every strategy they got and sometimes they run out of cards in their hand. Besides most of these cards are in Jaden's deck anyway so it's all good. Just to let you all know this duel is FAR from over.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh (Original or GX) characters, cards, etc.**

Back at the school Alexis and Jesse both covered up their injuries with bandages. Jesse had one wrapped around his head and both arms, Alexis had one on her right leg and a little one on her face. Chazz is lying in bed, he has been able to slightly move and talk. At the moment he isn't in critical condition, in fact he is recovering. Alexis and Jesse walked next to Chazz to try and speak with him, and try to find out what happened.

"Chazz, wake up please. We need to know what happened to you" Jesse said in a soft voice trying not to sound to demanding.

Chazz's eyes didn't open. Jesse started to shake him;

"Jaden is in danger; we need to know what happened to you. What happened in the duel between you and that duelist" Jesse continued to try speaking louder each time.

Eventually after shaking Chazz a little rougher, Chazz's eyes slowly lifted.

"He's waking up" Alexis said relieved.

"Come on tell us what happened" Jesse plead to Chazz thinking of nothing more than to help his friend.

Chazz's eyes were almost wide open until he closed them again letting off a little sigh. Jesse sweat dropped and groaned;

"Nothing is working" Jesse said giving up.

"Watch this" Alexis told Jesse as she walked in front of Chazz.

Alexis stood right in front of Chazz clearing her throat and breathing in and out slowly, at last she spoke;

"Chazzy would you like to go on a date with me?" Alexis asked.

"WHAT!" Jesse cried astonished by the question.

Almost in an instant Chazz's eyes lifted up and the only word that came out of his mouth was a big, loud "YES!".

"I don't believe it" Jesse muttered bent over as if his body weighed a ton. Alexis winked back at Jesse with a 'knew it would work' look.

"Alright Chazz tell us" Alexis demanded.

"Oh alright but as long as you keep your promise and go on a date with me" Chazz replied.

"Fine, just talk" Alexis growled, Chazz is going too far to get information to help out Jaden.

"Well on the night of the duel I was just minding my own business until this cloaked person came up to me and challenged me to a duel. Of course I accepted, the problem was when it began the duelist played cards I've never seen before. They were powerful and they were called Malefics or something" Chazz explained the story while both Alexis and Jesse listened hard, at times they gasped.

"My deck was getting creamed, which is very rare, and as the duel progressed I felt weaker and weaker each time I lost my life points. It was as if my actual life energy in my body was drained. It made the duel hard; I even made a mistake because of it. I couldn't think straight" Chazz continued.

"That explains why Bastion, you and Aster were all unconscious when we found you but still, where were you the last few days?" Alexis asked.

"I'm getting to that part. My memories after the duel are pretty fuzzy, my vision was either blurry or everything was pitch black. When I lost, my body gave up on me so I don't remember what happened right after, but I do remember flashes of being in a closed room with a voice speaking to me, saying that Jaden and all his friends will fall and my power is getting stronger. That's all I know" Chazz finished his story.

"Then we found you" Alexis continued on from the ending of Chazz's story.

"This is bad, from what we know so far this enemy drains a person's energy during a duel and controls real duel monsters. The question is why are the duelists recovering from such an experience and what does he intend to with this collection of energy" Jesse told the other two.

"So what should we do?" Alexis asked. Jesse looked at her with serious eyes.

"We must warn Jaden and help him in any way we can. Chazz you stay here and chill for a while you've been through a lot" Jesse answered as he looked at Chazz.

"Hold up I can walk too" Chazz grumbled as he tried to move but no luck on his part. His body still felt like rubber.

"Maybe you should really stay here Chazz, I know you don't want to prove you can't do anything but just remember what happened to you" Alexis told him.

Jesse was already going through the door, Alexis followed. Both are on their way back to support Jaden and let him know what happened to the others. Meanwhile the duel is still underway and it is Jaden's turn. He no longer has his powerful E-Hero Flare Neos out and with neither duelist having any cards on the field; the duel is continued with a clean slate.

"As surprising as your move was it may cause your downfall for you see, you've destroyed your monster along with mine so you're wide open for a direct attack" Jaden said as he drew his card.

"It makes no difference if he attacks me directly this turn my life points are so high I can last many direct attacks from weak monsters in his deck. In the end Jaden will lose" Malice thought to himself without replying to Jaden's comment.

"I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode and since he is the only card on my side of the field I can draw 2 cards" Jaden said as he drew.

Jaden looked at his hand. At the moment he can't do much. As long as Malice didn't have a Malefic on the field Jaden will be ok. He looked at Malice who isn't the least bit afraid of Jaden's move. He is just observing the move with no emotion. In fact at times Jaden felt a little uneasy as if Malice is observing Jaden himself and what he is feeling. Jaden kept staring at Malice who's smile went wider.

"Why is he so confident that he is going to win? Maybe I can't beat him" Jaden thought to himself, his attitude is changing.

"Don't give up hope. This isn't you Jaden; you're not the one to give up" Yubel yelled as Jaden turned around to look at her.

"The way you've been dueling so far, this isn't you. Where is the passion, you're so overwhelmed by his deck when there is no reason to be. You're a great duelist and you have the potential to win yet you are doubting yourself" Yubel told him.

Her words are powerful; Jaden's eyes are a little watery as if they are reflecting the moonlight.

"You can win this. He is just playing with your head, attack him! Attack him with everything you got and duel with all your might, win this Jaden!" Yubel hollered at the end.

Jaden turned back around sharply, his eyes staring right at Malice's. His eyes burning with passion once again, his love of dueling restored. In fact Jaden's glare made Malice step back a little.

"Thanks Yubel, I was so worked up about the high chance of losing due to the strength of his deck. I know things are going to get tough in this duel especially for me. However I'm not going to let this guy win, I know my deck is just as strong and I'm getting my game back on right now" Jaden thought as he called out to E-Hero Bubbleman to attack.

Bubbleman's attack pummeled Malice with an array of bubbles damaging his life points by 800. Malice looked away as the attack hit.

"I end my turn with that" Jaden said.

_10__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5900lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 0 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 7 Banished: 1_

"Very well, my move" Malice looked at his card as he drew.

"Your attack was nothing to me for I've already drawn a card that'll assist me in your demise whether you attack it or not" Malice said.

"Your head games won't work on me anymore. I'm Jaden Yuki, and dueling is my game so I'm ready for your card" Jaden replied.

"I'm serious about it though, whether you attack it or not it doesn't make a difference the result will be the same, so I'll set a monster face down and end my turn" Malice said as a card appeared flat in defense position on the field.

"Alrighty then my move" Jaden said as he drew.

"Thankfully he didn't play a Malefic but he said that whether I attack or not something will happen. So it must be a flip effect monster but which one?" Jaden is struggling with deciding to attack or not because if he does trigger a flip effect will the effect be more severe if he did attack or if he didn't. Jaden looked down with his eyes closed and a small smile.

"Well I'm going to find out eventually so I might as well go all out. Elemental Hero Bubbleman attack the face down card!" Jaden shouted. Malice's eyes sparkled as if he wanted for Jaden to attack.

"Like I said either way it wouldn't make a difference and now you'll see why. Your attack triggered this card to flip, reveal yourself…Morphing Jar!" Malice said as his card flipped.

The attack destroyed Morphing Jar but its effect activated.

"Thanks to your attack Morphing Jar's special ability activated, both of us must discard our entire hands and draw five new cards and since I don't have any cards in my hand I have nothing to lose" Malice explained as he drew.

Jaden sends his almost full hand to the graveyard and draws 5 new cards also. He was curious to know how things are going to be these next few turns since Malice has a full hand, it is highly likely that he'll summon another Malefic monster. Jaden didn't want to admit it but the Morphing Jar got rid of some good cards that were building up. Still his new hand is quite impressive and Jaden isn't going to let it go to waste.

"End your turn already" Malice roared as he watched Jaden talk to himself.

"Hold up I still have my main phase two remember and this new hand has given me cards that'll do some good, so get ready. I activate the spell card Fusion Recovery letting me bring back 1 polymerization and 1 fusion material monster from my graveyard to my hand" Jaden said as he revealed the two cards, 1 was polymerization and the other was Elemental Hero Clayman.

"Next I'll summon Clayman in attack mode and activate polymerization to fuse Bubbleman and Clayman to form Elemental Hero Mudballman and I'll special summon it in defense mode" Jaden said.

"I don't understand what will this fusion monster accomplish for you? It has low attack points and a high defense of 3000, still it is nothing I can't handle" Malice told him.

"True but if I recall you've already used all your monsters that are over 3000. Remember you've played Malefic Cyber End Dragon, Malefic Rainbow Dragon, Malefic Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon all with over 3000 attack and also you've used your Malefic Stardust Dragon and your Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the card necessary to summon that black dragon" Jaden replied.

"So you actually think I've run out of monsters that are stronger than 3000?" Malice couldn't help but snigger.

"I end my turn at that so go ahead and show me what you have left" Jaden remarked.

_11__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5900lp Jaden: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 5 Cards in Hand: 4_

_Banished: 7 Banished: 1_

"I have plenty and I'll prove it" Malice growled as he drew.

"The nerve of that kid, thinking I've got nothing left to destroy his pathetic monster. I'll show him and I have the perfect cards to do it" Malice thought with a smirk as he eyed a certain spell card that'll release the Malefics from any boundaries of summoning for the rest of the duel.

"Jaden, remember the base field spell of Paradox's deck Malefic World?" Malice asked.

"No, you don't say, you played it at the start of the duel" Jaden replied confused for being asked an obvious question.

"In my hand right now I have another field spell card that is exactly like Malefic World but even more deadly. I activate the field spell Malefic Universe! An entire space full of destruction will cover the field" Malice shouted as his heart raced playing the best field spell for his deck.

"Malefic Universe doesn't sound good" Jaden said as the field slowly is covered by a black space background showing galaxies and dead planets.

"Not this type of thing again" Syrus complained.

"My stars, an even more advanced version of Malefic World" Banner stammered.

Jesse and Alexis have almost made it to the duel. They can see Jaden through the last few trees and bushes in their way. When they got closer they can see the black energy veil engulfing the battlefield.

"Jaden!" they both cried in unison. Jaden and Syrus heard them and looked behind them.

"Jesse, Alexis" Syrus yelled waving to them.

The two are too late. The duel is surrounded by what looks from the outside, glass with the image of a very ruined space. Alexis and Jesse slowly walked up to it and Jesse tried to touch it. His hand is swallowed in. He quickly pulls it out with a quick yelp.

"What is this thing?" Jesse wondered.

"I'm not sure but from the looks of it, it doesn't look good and Jaden and Syrus are caught in the middle of it" Alexis said.

"It looks like they can't get through, but why? This is just a hologram isn't it?" Syrus questioned himself. Jaden's focus went straight back to Malice.

"What is going on here?" Jaden asked Malice.

"I played my Malefic Universe field spell that's what. It is treated as Malefic World and has the same effect. I can chose three Malefic cards from my deck and you choose one out random instead of me conducting my normal draw phase. Here comes the extra part, if I choose this effect I can draw 1 additional card from my deck. So each turn I can draw 2 cards if I wish" Malice answered.

"Two cards every turn! That'll give you a major advantage" Jaden replied.

"Correct and another thing this card cannot be replaced with new field spells so it looks like this will be the last field spell played in the duel. Let's continue" Malice insisted on keep going with the duel.

Jaden watched Malice deciding on his move anxiously to see what he plays. With an advantage such as being able to draw two cards every turn gives Malice the chance to use his best cards twice as fast.

"I'm about to prove your theory wrong, you should know that a great duelist always keeps spares in case 1 is destroyed" Malice told him.

"Does that mean…" Jaden trailed off.

"Yes, I banish a second Cyber End Dragon in order to special summon a second Malefic Cyber End Dragon" Malice added as the three headed machine dragon appeared looking as ferocious as ever.

"I have to deal with this one again, this isn't good" Jaden replied looking at the roaring dragon.

Malice is enjoying seeing Jaden sweat again. He may not have to get in Jaden's head anymore; just let his moves do the talking.

"The next spell card I play is probably the rarest and most unusual Malefic spell card. It has an effect that reverses certain things. The time has come for me to activate it to finally put some damage into your life points Jaden" Malice said talking in a very enthusiastic tone.

"As long as my Mudballman is in defense you can't touch my life points" Jaden replied.

"Oh really, we'll see about that when I activate the continuous spell card Malefic Paradox Mask" Malice snapped back as the card is played.

Paradox's mask appeared on the field along with it some very unexpected effects.

"Allow me to explain how this card works. Once per turn, if I control a Malefic monster I can activate one of the following effects. I can either negate the effect of all face-up monsters, which I don't need at the moment or I can tribute 1 Malefic monster to special summon the banished monster that was banished to special summon the selected card, ignoring any summoning conditions hahaha" Malice explained.

"So you're going to get rid of your dark Cyber End Dragon to bring back the…original one?" Jaden exclaimed.

"Correct, I tribute my Malefic Cyber End Dragon to return the original Cyber End Dragon to the field!" Malice shouted as the dark counterpart is sent to the graveyard and a portal opened up. Out of it came the original Cyber End Dragon, roaring in all its glory.

"Cy…ber…End…Dragon!" Syrus stuttered in fear.

"I have to admit out of all the cards you've played so far this one is the most surprising, to actually give up the bad version" Jaden said in uncertainty of why he did it.

"I gave up the bad version because unlike its dark counterpart it has the ability to cause piercing battle damage even when your monster is in defense mode" Malice responded to Jaden's uncertainty.

Jaden knew he E-Hero Mudballman has no chance against it. Malice ordered Cyber End Dragon to attack with its Super Strident Blaze. The three fire balls, having the piercing battle damage behind them, hit and destroy E-Hero Mudballman causing Jaden to lose 1000 life points. The blast knocked Jaden back a few steps, he covers his eyes with his right arm and looking at what is happening with his left eye. The aftershock caused strong winds to blow. Jaden's jacket fluttered uncontrollably. Banner and Yubel are unaffected, they both are still watching. Syrus on the other hand is having more of a tough time standing up. Outside of the duel, Alexis and Jesse are trying to get inside but each time they put a part of their body in, it is swallowed by the strange veil of another realm.

"We have to find a way to get in there, it's all or nothing, we'll just run through it" Jesse said, determined to try and find Jaden again.

Without thinking he runs through, Alexis screamed his name as he ran in. Jesse disappeared inside, when he went through he expected to be inside where the duel is taking place but instead he is floating, drifting in the vast corners of what looked like space. Jesse looked around in awe; he is amazed that he can even breathe; he is in space after all. Is everything he's experiencing and seeing real? He tried to move his body to get some movement. Fortunately he can move around as if he was flying. As he searched on trying to get out of the place he noticed the planets are all dead, either just about to explode with mass molten rock eruptions penetrating the surface or a dead brown colour. Galaxies surrounded by a blue energy that seemed to be devouring the whole system. It is a dying universe; destructive forces are obliterating everything in their path. Jesse started to panic, he didn't feel right anymore, and he felt as if his mind is separating from his body. It felt as if he was fading, his body felt so light. He starts to lose all feeling, everything is numb. Jesse screams for help, he isn't feeling too good. He closed his eyes and he began to feel very tired. Then all of a sudden in the distance he could hear Alexis' voice calling for him. It was faint but still hearable. Jesse could feel a pull, as if he is in a gravity river. He looked behind him noticing a large black hole ready to suck him up.

"A black hole! I've got to get out of here!" Jesse panicked.

He tried to fight against the gravity flow. He used swimming techniques. He didn't know where to go, he just went straight trying to figure out where Alexis' voice is coming from. Slowly, with each stroke, Alexis' voice got louder, at times he wanted to give up but if he did he knew that he would just float to his doom. Jesse got tired and stopped for a split second, as soon as he stopped moving, the black hole sucked him back. The further he got away, the black hole got bigger. Every muscle was intensely sore, Jesse was in pain. At times he stopped, had a 1 second break and kept on going even though he was sent backwards, he couldn't handle the pain. It felt like over an hour, even though only a few minutes past, before he could completely hear Alexis loud and clear. With all his might he broke through the wall and landed on hard ground.

"Jesse, where did you go?" Alexis asked, worried about him.

Jesse breathed heavily and turned to Alexis. That is something I would never want to experience again" Jesse replied as if he had just been tortured.

"Did you find Jaden?" Alexis asked.

"Quite the opposite, I've never felt so far away from him. I was floating through what looked like space except I don't think it is our Universe, it is some kind of alternative dimension, a dangerous and destructive one, a…malefic universe" Jesse answered.

Alexis jerked back to his response. She looked back at the black veil thinking of Jaden and Syrus if they are ok. Inside, the attack's aftershock subsided. Jaden's life points decreased and no monsters or traps to protect him. Jaden felt funny, weakened somehow, out of breath. Malice noticed this.

"Now you know what happened to your friends, you're experiencing the same energy drain as them" Malice told him.

"What are you talking about?" Jaden asked.

"In this duel each time you lose life points your body's energy is drained. The same energy you use to talk, eat, move, duel and live. Your other friends went through this as well. Their concentration was depleting as the duel continued. It was fun seeing them struggling so much. When they lost, they lost almost all their energy. Their body gives up and they pass out. They do recover after a while, when the body refuels itself. Although the energy drained from them gets absorbed by my Malefic World making the power of Malefics stronger" Malice answered.

"That's why everyone was unconscious when we found them" Jaden said.

"Yes, that is phase 1 of my plan. Gather enough energy to bring out my Malefics true potential and get rid of my competition" Malice replied.

Things looked bleak for him. Jaden will need to pull off something amazing in order to win. If his energy is drained, he'll lose the willpower to go on. Syrus tried to help Jaden by giving him positive comments but he is also furious at Malice for what he has done to everyone. Jaden draws a card. He looked at his hand.

"I set 3 face down cards and end my turn" Jaden said as 3 holographic cards appeared on the field.

_12__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5900lp Jaden: 3000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 3 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 7 Banished: 1_

"It seems Jaden is relying on his face down cards to destroy my Cyber End Dragon. If he thinks I am going to fall for such an amateur trick he's sadly mistaken. Then again perhaps I should attack; if he does have cards to destroy my monster at least I'll get him to waste his good cards. Also I have another strategy waiting for him and it is even harder to deal with than this one" Malice thought to himself.

"I'll activate the effect of Malefic Universe and select 3 Malefic cards from my deck and you'll have to pick one out at random, choose wisely because if you pick the right card for me you'll lose the duel next turn" Malice warned Jaden as he held up 3 cards at him.

Jaden wasn't allowed to see what the cards were since it was a random picking so the details on the cards were faced the other way. Malice watched Jaden with a smirk. Jaden thought hard but he knew in the end he may have to do this every turn and doesn't have the time to be thinking.

"I choose the middle card" Jaden finally chose.

"A lucky pick, he didn't choose the card I needed to finish him, however I can keep using Malefic Universes effect every turn to ensure I do" Malice thought.

"As you know I get to draw 1 extra card" Malice reminded Jaden as he drew another card.

"Guess all you have to do is attack me. So go for it" Jaden told Malice.

"I'm not afraid of your Cyber End Dragon at all, if you really want to achieve your goal you'll have to attack so why don't you. Strike me down" Jaden's voice rose in pitch, it sounded as if he commanded Malice to attack.

"I hope Jaden doesn't really think that mocking is gonna make Malice attack, he would know Jaden has a trap" Syrus said.

"Attack Cyber End Dragon with Super Strident Blaze" Malice called out the attack.

Banner, Yubel and Syrus couldn't believe it.

"Malice is more clever than we thought" Banner said.

"In what way?" Yubel asked.

"Attacking with Cyber End Dragon forces Jaden to use up his cards, which means Malice has something worse in store for him" Banner answered.

Cyber End Dragon is getting ready to release the three fireballs.

"Not going to let that happen. I activate the trap A Hero Emerges. If you declare an attack I can activate this. You see you can choose 1 random card from my hand and if it is a monster I can special summon it to the field so take your pick" Jaden explained as he lifted the two cards in his hand.

It was a fifty fifty chance, Jaden only had one monster. If he picked right, Jaden is saved but if he picked wrong, Jaden lost. Malice didn't think hard he isn't worried at all.

"I choose the right card" Malice said not even looking at Jaden.

Jaden's face lit up. He did pick the monster.

"You've picked the monster; I special summon Elemental Hero Bladedge in defense mode!" Jaden yelled as his strongest non fusion E-Hero has arrived.

Malice was unmoved. He saw E-Hero Bladedge as nothing more than a nuisance on his way to victory. The part that confused him though is why he didn't summon Bladedge in attack mode, his attack power is higher than his defense, and he would lose less life points if he was in attack mode.

"As lucky as your move may have been you've made a little mistake, did you forget about my Cyber End Dragon's effect?" Malice asked disappointed by the lack of thought into his summon.

"Oh no! He's been playing so many Malefics I forgot that his monster can inflict piercing battle damage" Jaden cried in panic holding his head.

"This isn't good, he will lose some serious life points" Banner said.

"I always knew you were a fool and now you'll see why. Cyber End Dragon attack with Super Strident Blaze" Malice shouted as his monster released the three fireballs.

The three spectators cried out Jaden's name. Jaden's face however changed from worried to happy.

"I was depending on you to attack me" Jaden told him.

"You were?" Malice replied in shock.

"All part of my plan. Knowing you would want to defeat me as soon as possible and believing I am an amateur thinking I summoned Bladedge with lack of concentration, I figured you'd attack me. I am one step ahead of you Malice" Jaden said.

"You mean Jaden pretended that he made a mistake" Syrus said with disbelief.

Cyber End Dragon's attack is just about to strike E-Hero Bladedge.

"I activate my trap card, Zero Gravity" Jaden exclaimed.

Malice was astounded. Jaden managed to trick him into thinking he made a mistake and for him to attack.

"In case you don't know what my card does, my trap targets every face up monster and switches their battle position. So your monster goes to defense position, cancelling out your attack and my monster changes to attack position" Jaden explained as the three fireballs disappeared before hitting E-Hero Bladedge.

"Very impressive but so what if you changed the positions, my monster's defense is 2800 and your monster's attack is 2600, yours is still too weak" Malice pointed out.

"Thank you captain obvious, can you end your turn" Jaden replied.

"Watch what you say Jaden, it may be the last words that'll ever leave your mouth. I am going to normal summon another new monster. I summon Malefic Soldier Dragon" Malice said as a human sized, dragon appeared. It has yellow eyes, white scaly skin of the bottom half and black thicker skin on the top. The dragon is a 4 star monster and has an attack strength of 1700 and its defense is 1200.

"Finally a Malefic that is weaker than 2000 attack but this one is different, you don't need to banish a monster in order to summon it. Why is that?" Jaden asked.

"That is because Malefic Soldier Dragon is a protector of the Malefic World or Universe in this case. I can only summon it if I have Malefic World out and since Malefic Universe is treated as Malefic World, I had no restrictions. It also has a very handy ability, if this monster is face-up on my side of the field you cannot target another Malefic monster with an attack, spell, trap or effect. This dragon will protect my stronger beasts" Malice answered.

"Great, I have to go through his first line of defense before reaching his actual damaging monsters" Jaden thought.

Malice ended his turn at last. Jaden drew his card.

"Come on J, I know you can do it" Syrus cheered.

"This is the turn where I take down your Cyber End Dragon. My last face down card has ensured that, I activate it, it's my H-Heated Heart spell card, and I'll target my Elemental Hero Bladedge giving it a 500 attack power boost and that's not all it also gets the ability to cause piercing battle damage even if the monster is in defense mode" Jaden explained as E-Hero Bladedge's power increased.

"So that's why you weren't nervous about my monster's defense being higher" Malice mumbled.

"Go Bladedge, attack his Cyber End Dragon" Jaden shouted.

The Elemental Hero ran towards the three headed machine dragon and struck it with its blades, destroying the beast and due to H-Heated Heart's effect, Malice lost 300 life points. Malice didn't move. He was upset that his mighty dragon was destroyed but since he is ready for a new plan to commence he wasn't worried.

"Your reputation is definitely seen as this duel progresses. Your moves are top class and you're even competing with a duelist who is much better and stronger than you. Coming this far in itself is commendable although you have no idea how dangerous this duel is. No one will know how good you dueled here when you leave this world" Malice said.

"You need to take a chill pill, I end my turn" Jaden replied.

_13__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 3000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 4 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 7 Banished: 1_

"Prepare yourself Jaden, in this move a lot will happen. First I'll activate the effect of Malefic Universe, take your pick" Malice said as he lifted up 3 cards.

Jaden chose the left one. Malice added the card to his hand and the rest was shuffled into his deck. Jaden avoided the card Malice wanted him to choose again.

"I banish my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck to special summon another Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon" Malice said.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon's dark counterpart returned.

"I have a few sets of the same card, next I'll activate the spell Fallen Stars. I'll use it on my Malefic Soldier Dragon to decrease it to a two star monster however I must give up a face-up card so I'll send Malefic Paradox Mask to the graveyard" Malice explained his move.

Jaden wasn't sure why he would decrease the level of his Malefic Soldier Dragon. It wouldn't make a difference unless he going to do something that requires a low starred monster.

"I haven't told you this Jaden but I bet you didn't know that Malefic Soldier Dragon is a tuner monster did you?" Malice wondered.

"A tuner monster, what's that?" Jaden asked.

"Tuner?" Syrus also wondering.

Banner and Yubel remember well what a tuner monster is, Paradox did the same thing.

"He is going to do that new summoning. I forgot the name" Banner told Yubel.

"Whatever its name is, it can't be good. It is the type of summoning to unleash powerful monsters" Yubel replied.

"Malefic Soldier Dragon tune with Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The two will combine to create the ultimate defense. I synchro summon Malefic Barrier Droid in defense position!" Malice said as his machine synchro monster entered the battlefield.

"Synchro summon? That's the same move that future guy did. I remember it being used to summon some hardcore monsters" Jaden replied to the move.

Syrus was at a loss for words, he has never seen anything like that being done before.

Malefic Barrier Droid looks like a cross between a mechanized dome and a satellite. It is relatively small when compared to other Malefics, it is just a little larger than Malefic Solder Dragon was. It is silver is colour and is a 10 star monster with 0 attack and 3000 defense.

"To be 10 stars and have no attack points this thing must have a great effect," Jaden said.

"How right you are, Malefic Barrier Droid, is the best defense for my Malefic deck, you'll find out soon enough" Malice replied.

"I'll continue my move by banishing Light End Dragon from my extra deck to special summon Malefic Light End Dragon" Malice continued as his new monster appeared.

"Malefic Light End Dragon has 2600 attack and since your H-Heated Heart spell card only lasts one turn your E-Hero Bladedge is also 2600. My monster has a very handy special effect, its original form weakens itself in order to weaken an opponent's monster but in its Malefic form it becomes stronger, I'll use its effect by increasing its attack by 500 for this turn" Malice added as his Malefic Light End Dragon increased to 3100 attack.

"Now my monster attack and destroy his Elemental Hero Bladedge" Malice commanded.

Malefic Light End Dragon blasted its pure white beam at Bladedge, destroying him and causing Jaden to lose 500 life points. Jaden felt a little sting from the drain but nothing too major.

"Time for the little flaw in Malefic Light End Dragon's effect, if your monster was destroyed because I used its effect you get to draw 1 card" Malice said.

Jaden was pleased and drew his card. Malice finished up by setting one more card face down and ended his turn.

"Alright here I come, look out Malice" Jaden told him as he drew.

"I'll set 2 cards face down and end my turn" Jaden said as two cards appeared in front of him.

_14__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 2500lp_

_Cards in Hand: 2 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 9 Banished: 1_

Malice activates the effect of Malefic Universe again gaining two cards.

"I summon another Malefic Soldier Dragon, except this time I'm going to use it differently. However I need to activate my face-down card first, it is a rare type of card that is both a trap and a monster" Malice said.

"A trap monster?" Jaden blurted out.

"Yes, I must activate it in order to continue my move so rise up my Knight of Truth. This card has an effect but I don't need it, for you see I have something far worse on its way" Malice clarified as his Knight of Truth stands tall with his weapon in his hand, he looks like a knight with golden/black armour with a katana like sword. It is a 3 star monster with only 800 attack and defense.

"I activate Double Spell, by discarding a spell card from my hand; I can get a spell card from your graveyard and add it to my hand. I know just which one I want, the fusion card Polymerization" Malice said as he held out his hand waiting for Jaden to bring it to him.

"Polymerization, he must want to fuse those two monsters together but what shall it turn in to?" Jaden wondered as he grabbed the card from his graveyard and handed it to Malice. He then returned to his spot.

"I'll continue by using the card you gave me and fuse Malefic Soldier Dragon along with Knight of Truth to form, Malefic Guardian Dragon!" Malice uttered as his two monsters combined.

When Malefic Guardian Dragon appeared, the monster looked like Knight of Truth riding on Malefic Soldier Dragon; the only difference was the dragon is a little bulkier than before.

"This monster improves Malefic Soldier Dragon's effect to an even deadlier one. It still has the same effect as Malefic Soldier Dragon on its own, you cannot target another Malefic monster as long as he is on the field and also when I remove 1 Malefic monster from my graveyard, this monster's attack is increased by 800 until the end phase" Malice explained.

"Attack my Malefic Guardian Dragon" Malice demanded, the fusion monster is going for a direct attack.

"Luckily I have this face down, my Defense Draw trap card, it reduces my battle damage to 0 and I can draw 1 card" Jaden countered.

"You have a real knack at lucky moves don't you Jaden? I'll end my turn at that" Malice replied, irritated by the ongoing moves Jaden is doing. He wanted to end this duel quickly but Jaden kept prolonging that.

"Hold up, how come you didn't attack me with Malefic Light End Dragon as well?" Jaden asked.

"Good question, Malice would have won the duel" Syrus continued on it.

"That's because of Malefic Barrier Droid's effect, as long as its face-up on the field, I can only attack with one monster each turn. By the way you duel I figured you might spring a trap so I sent my weaker monster to attack even though he is protected" Malice answered.

"Protected? What do you mean?" Jaden wondered.

"You'll find out later, go make your move" Malice replied.

"How can his monster be protected? It must be because of that Malefic Barrier Droid…oh well I'll find out soon enough" Jaden thought.

Malice waited for Jaden to finish his draw phase with his arms crossed again.

"Well here goes. My move" Jaden said as he drew a card.

"Hmm definitely not good enough yet but this will help" Jaden thought looking through the hands possibilities.

"I activate the spell card Monster Reborn to special summon Hero Kid in defense mode" Jaden said as his monster appeared.

"What! How's that possible, I don't recall sending Hero Kid to the graveyard" Malice complained.

"You don't recall it because Hero Kid was sent to the graveyard from my hand when you used Morphing Jar's effect and because he has been special summoned I can summon two more Hero kids from my deck" Jaden happily explained to a confused Malice.

Another 2 Hero Kids are special summoned in defense giving Jaden 3 monsters. He can withstand 3 attacks due to Malefic Barrier Droid's drawback in its effect. Jaden wasn't nervous at all at the moment, he seemed to be in an ok position, besides he has been in tough situations before and this duel is no different.

"I'll throw down a face down and that'll do it" Jaden said as his card appeared on the field.

_15__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 2500lp_

_Cards in Hand: 1 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 9 Banished: 1_

"Stalling won't help you Jaden, you'll have to attack me sooner or later. My turn and I'll activate the effect of Malefic Universe" Malice said as he lifted up 3 cards, Jaden picked the middle one and the other two were put back into the deck and reshuffled.

Malice didn't even look at his hand, as if he didn't care what he had to do next. All he had on his mind is one question for Jaden.

"Jaden, what emotion do you think runs this world?" Malice asked.

"Emotion, what do you mean?" Jaden replied.

"What I mean is what feeling makes the world go round these days?" Malice asked.

"Uh I don't know…happiness?" Jaden guessed.

"Fear. That is the one emotion everyone lives by these days. Respect and honor don't exist anymore. You can't get respect if you don't have fear it's as simple as that. To survive in this world, you must make sure others are scared of you. That is what I've learnt, the weak perish and the strong survive. Why do you think all of today's youth wants to be part of a gang, or become a rapper, or be part of some mafia, because they will be strong and people will fear them, thus they get respect" Malice said to Jaden revealing of what he believes the world is like.

"That's not true" Jaden snapped.

"Really? Have you been living under a rock this whole time? Don't you see what I'm trying to tell you? What I am trying to do is right, I am creating a revelation. Sorry to say but most humans are evil. In fact every single one of them is a coward. I've seen some of the toughest people around when they're in a group but when they're alone, their heads are down. It is so pathetic" Malefic continued becoming more insane as he kept talking.

"I don't understand why you see the world like this…Drake" Jaden replied with a surprised Malice looking at him for calling him his actual name.

"Don't call me that anymore, Drake is a nobody, you have no idea what I've been through Jaden. Malice is the new me, the new tyrant of this world. Almost every day I was afraid of everyone else. I was picked on, laughed at. At first I was ok with it then it got worse. Even my so called friends turned their backs on me. I became more furious as the time went by; I went from the nicest kid in school to the absolute most dangerous kid. I was so close to my limits. Even a girl that I liked mocked me. Thank fully I left school but still, I heard the many stories of others who have been suffering, I even got called names outside of school for no reason and worse of all, the internet. Those cowards don't show their faces. That's when I realized this world is a cold and cruel. At the time I also discovered Duel Monsters, it was a big thing and I heard about this duel academy, I was very nervous of course. I wasn't sure if I was good enough but I did pass the first test and was accepted. As the years went by I enjoyed myself here, I saw you save the world plenty of times. I left Duel Academy and went to Europe where I met you. We had some good times; revenge was on the back of my mind until I met the man who made all my dreams possible, Paradox" Malice snarled as he spoke.

Malice's look changed a little, his face looked a lot meaner and insane than before, similar to Yami Marik. His eyes became even blacker with a tint of red as if he is being consumed by total darkness in the inside. Drake doesn't know who he was anymore. Jaden kept listening trying to absorb everything that Malice was saying.

"Chill out bro. Don't you think you're taking this a little too far?" Jaden asked sweat dropping.

"No way, in fact I'm not doing enough yet. First I must get rid of you, you're my only obstacle, then I can use my monsters to annihilate this world" Malice replied.

"I have to admit you may have Paradox's deck but your motives are definitely different" Jaden stated.

"Of course. I have surpassed my teacher in every way. My skills and power have gone beyond anything he had. Also all he wanted to do was get rid of duel monsters so the future tragedy didn't occur; however my plans are so much greater. I have taken it to the next level, what I am trying to accomplish is more than just about a card game" Malice said.

"He is crazy, something isn't right. His rage is unprecedented; in fact I don't think all this is coming from Drake himself" Yubel said.

"I agree, something isn't right about what he is saying" Banner agreed.

"This guy is so serious" Syrus commented.

"Jaden ask Malice about what happened after he met Paradox, how he came up with all these plans" Yubel told him.

"Ok. Say Malice how did you come up with these plans, I mean after you met Paradox" Jaden wondered.

"My, you are full of questions but I suppose I can answer this last one. After I met Paradox, I started walking towards where we were staying then I saw the city being blasted by two dragons, Cyber End Dragon and Rainbow Dragon. I took shelter then I saw you face to face with Paradox who summoned his Stardust Dragon to erase you from history. I was ready to jump in until I felt something strange, something holding me back. Luckily for you that red dragon saved you. I left after that and went back to where we were staying. I analyzed the deck, trying to come up with strategies hoping to go back to Duel Academy and kick butt. Although my deck had a different path for me, I used to constantly talk to myself, telling myself that I will make everyone pay as I held the deck in my hand. At times I would find myself saying horrible things that I wouldn't usually say. It just came out as if I didn't have any control over it. Other times I look at the deck and it would blur my vision and I could hear roaring sounds, I even attacked people. It was as if Malefics were becoming a force in itself. The power even started to frighten me; I could sense the Malefic presence of my monsters. I tried to get rid of it seeing how dangerous it was. Before I did, I thought about it first. My monsters may have some kind of possessive ability but it also contains a great power. So rather than getting rid of it, I decided to harness and control it. I never even considered of releasing the real life monsters which were in capsules at the time. So I made the decision, that I would change the world" Malice explained the story feeling out of breath.

"All this happened and I didn't even know. I'm sorry I wasn't there but you can't blame every single person. I know you went through a rough patch. You can still have a good future, put the past behind you and move on. Now you have good friends and a passion. Don't throw it all away" Jaden asserted.

"You think this is just about me? My past is only a minor part of it. I know the human race doesn't deserve any kindness back after what they did and what they're becoming. I don't have time to explain" Malice said.

"Tell me, what else do you see that's negative?" Jaden asked.

Malice ignored Jaden completely and ordered his Malefic Guardian Dragon to attack. The monster destroyed one of the Hero Kids. Jaden grunted softly as his monster is obliterated, he didn't expect the attack.

"I end my turn" Malice said.

"That wasn't very nice, sorry to say my friend; I have to stop you from what you want to do. I don't know if you see it but your Malefics have corrupted your thinking. You are not this kind of person and I'm going to bring you back, I draw" Jaden said as he began his turn.

"I summon my Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin in attack mode" Jaden said.

Malice laughed commenting on how weak that monster is.

"It may not be so strong now not until I activate the spell card, Neo-Combo. I'll explain how this card works. I can only activate it if I have a face-up Neo-Spacian monster on the field and for each Neo-Spacian I discard from my hand, the one of the field increases by 1000 more attack points. At the end phase, the monster I used this one is sent to the graveyard" Jaden said.

"I've never even heard of this card" Malice replied.

"The 2 cards I have left in my hand are both Neo-Spacians" Jaden said as he revealed them and sent them to the graveyard.

Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin's attack increased by 2000 making his total 2600. Jaden told his monster to attack Malefic Guardian Dragon. Malice smirked because just as Aqua Dolphin went onto Malice's side of the field to attack, Jaden's monster hit a red, energy wall. Negating the attack and bouncing Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin right back to Jaden's side of the field.

"What happened?" Jaden asked.

"I was sure that Jaden had him" Syrus said.

"Just look at the field" Malice told them.

Jaden looked as a red, barrier appeared coming from the left and right side of Malefic Barrier Droid who is in the middle of the field creating a wall between Jaden's side of the field and Malice's.

"A wall?" Jaden said.

"That's correct, when you attacked Malefic Barrier Droid's effect activated. When you declare an attack my monster creates this barrier which lasts for 3 turns, it protects all my Malefic monsters from any attacks, effects, spell or trap cards. It is an impenetrable wall. Once the 3 turns are up I must discard 1 card from my hand to keep it on for another 3 turns" Malice explained.

"No way" Jaden shouted.

"This isn't good; Malefic Barrier Droid has created an unbreakable wall. Jaden can't hurt Malice" Banner said in panic.

"Anything else you wish to do?" Malice asked.

"I end my turn" Jaden replied without even bothering to try to break through the wall since he has no cards in his hand and his monster goes directly to the graveyard.

_16__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 2500lp_

_Cards in Hand: 3 Cards in Hand: 0_

_Banished: 9 Banished: 1_

"You might as well give up here and now Jaden. My field has a fool proof strategy and you have no cards in your hand and your two Hero Kids are no match for my beasts" Malice told him as he activated the effect of Malefic Universe giving him two more cards. Jaden has been incredibly lucky with picking which card isn't the one Malice really wanted him to pick when Malice activated the effect of Malefic Universe.

"I'll attack another Hero Kid with Malefic Light End Dragon" Malice said as his monster shot its white beam and destroyed Jaden's second Hero Kid.

Jaden is in a tight spot, Malice has two strong monsters and an ultimate defense. He needs a miracle.

"I'll finish up by setting one face down card. Make your move" Malice sneered.

Jaden looked at his deck. He needs a good card otherwise, Malice wins. He slowly moved his hand towards his deck and touched the top.

"There is one card that can get me out of this mess. Please, let me have it" Jaden thought as he closed his eyes and believed in his deck.

Jaden slowly drew. Banner, Yubel and Syrus all watching, giving off light sighs. They're fingers are crossed. Jaden lifted it up in front of his face and opened his eyes.

"Alright, I activate the spell, Card of Sanctity" Jaden said as he quickly activated it.

"Unbelievable" Malice replied in shock.

"Yeah J, you're the best" Syrus cheered.

"That was close" Banner said trying to relax.

"I think you know what happens now, we both get to draw until we have 6 cards in our hand. I added this card to my deck not long ago because I remember reading it that it was a part of my idol's deck, Yugi. I'm sure it saved him plenty of times too" Jaden said as he drew a fresh, full hand.

Malice too drew up a full hand.

"Time to get things really going, I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode" Jaden said with full confidence.

"What good will that do?" Malice asked.

"Plenty because I activate an awesome spell card called, Miracle Fusion" Jaden yelled overjoyed.

Malice's face went white, wondering what fusion monster Jaden is going to special summon.

"I must banish the fusion material monsters from either my field or graveyard so I'll banish Sparkman from my field and Clayman from my graveyard to bring forth my Elemental Hero Thunder Giant" Jaden said lifting his hand in front of him as he spoke.

"I don't understand, why him. He isn't that strong in attack and he can't hurt my monsters so he is of no use to you?" Malice told him.

"You're a bit slow aren't you? I'll explain, you see my Elemental Hero Thunder Giant has an effect, when its fusion summoned I can automatically destroy a face-up monster with original attack less than him" Jaden replied.

"So what? You can't target my monsters" Malice said.

"Wrong there is one monster I can target. You see your Malefic Barrier Droid protects your _other _monsters but as you can clearly see it doesn't protect itself. It counteracts your Malefic Guardian Dragon's effect due to its own so I have to destroy your Malefic Barrier Droid before I can get to your other monsters and since your monster has 0 attack, which is obviously less than my Thunder Giant's, my monster's effect can target and destroy him" Jaden replied.

"No! You've found a way to destroy my ultimate defense!" Malice cried dumbstruck.

"Awesome. I can't believe he pulled it off" Syrus said relieved.

"Incredible. Jaden's dueling is very clever. He actually found a way to bypass the defense. He can still win this" Banner commented.

"Go Jaden" Yubel said.

"Go E-Hero Thunder Giant, wipe out his Malefic Barrier Droid" Jaden said as his monster's electrical attack destroyed Malefic Barrier Droid, the red barrier disappeared. Malice is open for attack again.

"That takes care of that. Go E-Hero Thunder Giant attack Malefic Guardian Dragon" Jaden demanded.

"I play a trap, Trap Mirage. With this card I can copy one trap card in either player's graveyard and I choose Negate Attack" Malice countered as Jaden's monster's attack failed.

"Oh man, fine I'll end my turn from there. Go for it" Jaden said.

_17__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 2500lp_

_Cards in Hand: 6 Cards in Hand: 4_

_Banished: 9 Banished: 3_

"I'll be honest your move did surprise me. I thought that would have been the last strategy I would have to do and since I'm fresh out I'll just defeat you the good old fashion way, with brute force!" Malice shouted.

Malice drew a card, surprising Jaden.

"I'm not activating Malefic Universe this time; I have a full hand so it is not necessary, besides I don't want to lose by running out of cards. In this turn I'm going to destroy all your monsters Jaden, since Malefic Barrier Droid is no longer out I can attack with all my monsters again. Malefic Light End Dragon attack Elemental Hero Thunder Giant" Malice said as his beast obliterated Jaden's fusion monster causing him to lose 200 life points. Jaden didn't feel much difference thankfully due to the low point loss.

"Malefic Guardian Dragon finish it up and clear his field by destroying his last Hero Kid" Malice ordered.

Hero Kid is also gone, leaving Jaden with a field with 2 face down cards he played a few turns back.

"My demolition of your field is complete. I'll end my turn" Malice said quite pleased with the fact that Jaden is defenseless.

"Don't think you've won yet. I still have plenty of fight left in me and as long as I keep my cool and my game on, I know I can win. I draw" Jaden said not giving up hope.

"Hope all you want, it won't change the fact that you will lose" Malice sniggered.

"I activate my face down card, the continuous trap, Call of the Haunted to bring back Elemental Hero Neos to the field" Jaden said as his trademark monster was special summoned from the graveyard and ready to rumble.

"Another monster I don't recall sending to the graveyard" Malice said in surprise.

"Sometimes discarding really does help doesn't it? I drew Neos almost immediately after I returned him to the deck to fusion summon my Flare Neos. I'll just place two more cards face down and that's it for me" Jaden replied.

_18__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 2300lp_

_Cards in Hand: 6 Cards in Hand: 3_

_Banished: 9 Banished: 3_

"Obviously you wouldn't have E-Hero Neos out unless you have some kind of plan to protect him. Once again I won't activate Malefic Universe and just draw my one card, then I'll set a card face down" Malice said being cautious. Jaden didn't move he is really fired up. He has been on a roll the last couple of turns.

"I'm not afraid of your face down cards. I'll attack all out. Go Malefic Light End Dragon; destroy his E-Hero Neos. You'll lose perfectly, your best monster is destroyed and then the rest of your life points" Malice told him as his dragon's attack is getting ready to be fired.

"Hold up I'm activating a quick spell card before you attack, it's called Wishful Attack, it allows me to choose which monster attacks this turn on your side of the field and then once that monster has attacked it ends the battle phase. I'm forcing your Malefic Guardian Dragon to attack" Jaden said pointing at it as Malefic Light End Dragon's attack fades and Malefic Guardian Dragon prepares.

"What a waste, don't you remember my monster's effect. I remove Malefic Rainbow Dragon in order to increase my monster's attack by 800" Malice said as his monster became stronger. Jaden wasn't worried but he pretended to be.

"Malefic Guardian Dragon eliminate his Neos" Malice commanded as his monster went in for the kill.

"Hehe you think I'm not ready for your attack, I was counting on your Malefic Guardian Dragon to attack with a higher attack to show you what a waste your effect was" Jaden told him.

"What?" Malice shot back.

"I activate the spell card De-fusion!" Jaden shouted thrilled about his move.

Malice's monster separated back into the original material monsters, Malefic Soldier Dragon and Knight of Truth. Malice is stunned. Syrus is happy, Banner and Yubel smiled.

"I have cancelled out your attack and your battle phase ends" Jaden told him.

"Fine I end my turn. It doesn't matter if Malefic Guardian Dragon is gone, I still have one more Malefic on the field and it is stronger than Neos plus I have two more monsters on the field, one of them having the effect that you must target him first" Malice replied.

Jaden drew a card.

"It is time for your demolition of your field. I activate the spell card Double Strike. I must decrease my Elemental Hero Neo's attack by 500 and when I do that my monster can attack twice this turn" Jaden said.

"Twice!" Malice yelled in anger.

"That's right, go Elemental Hero Neos, destroy both Malefic Soldier Dragon and Knight of Truth" Jaden declared.

Neos attacked both monsters, sending them to the graveyard and leaving a slightly anxious Malice with only 1 monster.

"I set 1 card face down and because my Double Strike card's effect is finished on the end phase my monsters attack returns to normal. Luckily for you Double Strike doesn't allow you to take battle damage this turn so your life points weren't touched" Jaden explained as he ended his turn.

_19__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 2300lp_

_Cards in Hand: 6 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 10 Banished: 3_

"Lucky me" Malice said as he did his normal draw phase.

"You've survived through every plot I devised into my deck. So that means there is only one thing left to do, time to bring out the big guns and beat you with the strongest monsters in my deck and the first one is coming right now" Malice told him.

Jaden knew Malice wasn't bluffing, he is about summon something tough, really tough. Jaden started to question himself, what is he about to summon and can I beat it?

"I summon my Malefic Parallel Gear and I'm going to tune it with my Malefic Light End Dragon" Malice explained his move.

"Hold up this move looks familiar" Jaden replied as the two monsters tuned with each other.

"He is going to summon that black dragon" Banner cried.

"Be careful J, he is doing that weird summoning" Syrus yelled to him.

Malefic Parallel Gear faded and turned into two bright white spheres and began encircling Malefic Light End Dragon. As it did, Malefic Light End Dragon was in the centre of black rings as it also disappeared and turned into eight light spheres, the lights all lined up. The light represent how many stars the monster had and together it made 10 allowing Malice to summon a level 10 synchro monster.

"I synchro summon Malefic Paradox Dragon!" Malice shouted as a white explosion with pixilated blue on the surface erupted from the lights and out of the explosion came the giant black dragon.

"Oh man, this thing again. It was thanks to Yugi that this thing was destroyed now I have to find a way" Jaden thought.

"Stare into the eyes of Paradox's trademark monster. It is quite the dragon don't you agree?" Malice asked as if the question was torture to Jaden.

Jaden looked into the blood-red eyes of the dark dragon. With attack strength of 4000, it will be hard to beat.

"Attack Malefic Paradox Dragon, destroy his Neos!" Malice yelled ecstatically as he swung his arm in front of him to the side.

Malefic Paradox Dragon's white and dark blue blast is released, the power of darkness behind it, came full force at Elemental Hero Neos. Jaden's eyes went wide. He went into a martial arts position is which he defends even himself from the blast. He crossed his arms in front of his body like a shield. The blast hit Elemental Hero Neos, disintegrating him. The beam even goes beyond Neos and hits Jaden as well.

"Neos! Aaaahhh!" Jaden screamed as he is pushed back a few meters.

"JAYDEN!" Yubel, Banner and Syrus all yelled in unison.

Banner and Yubel head towards Jaden, calling his name. Jaden insisted on them staying back.

"Stay there, I'm alright" Jaden told them. He didn't want them to be put in harm's way. If Yubel interfered, she would be hurt instead of Jaden. Banner can't really do much either since he is a spirit.

Elemental Hero Neos is destroyed and Jaden lost 1500 life points. The Slifer Red duelist falls to a kneel with his head down. Even though it was a hologram, it felt so real; maybe…it was becoming real. The blast felt solid and even hurt Jaden. Jaden slowly looked up with his right eye closed. Jaden had a few noticeable minor burns on his body. Jaden is quiet as he looked at Malice who also has his head down and a purple aura around him.

"What's going on?" Jaden asked softly.

Malice looked up, he looked insane. His eyes diluted and a maniacal grin on his face.

"You lose Jaden!" Malice raved as he laughed.

**This is the longest piece of writing I have done for one chapter. Don't worry none of the others will come close to this one in length but in excitement, yes they will. I hope you're enjoying the duel and asking yourselves questions such as "How did Jaden feel the blast and why is Malice transforming into a darker being as time goes on?" The answers are yet to come. Also there are more reasons on why Malice is doing this. I will try to update soon.**


	6. Return of the Future Darkness pt 3

**This is it. The final part of the duel, who will come out victorious? Jaden suffered heavy damage from the last attack and Malice has already declared himself the winner. Perhaps the high level of his energy being drained has something to do with it? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh in any way, shape or form**

Jaden slowly tried to get up after being blown back by the attack from Malefic Paradox Dragon. His trademark monster is destroyed and with only 1 face down card, things look bad on his side.

"Hold your horses I haven't been beaten yet" Jaden told Malice.

"Yes you may still have life points left but due to the high loss of it and the effect this field has on my opponents, I highly doubt you'll be able to continue" Malice replied.

His purple aura has disappeared and Malice looked calmer than a few minutes ago. Jaden didn't say much, he was waiting for the energy draining effect of the field. He is standing up straight, standing strong, he knew that his body is going to become weak. Finally he felt the effects of the field. Jaden's body felt so weak, as if he didn't sleep in days. With each passing second, Jaden felt worse and worse. A lot of his energy was drained, his legs felt like they were about to cave in. His heartbeat became slower. Jaden tried to keep his head up.

"I won't let this get the best of me" Jaden said to himself.

Malice tried to make the situation harder for him.

"I know you want to give up and fall asleep. Go ahead, lie down and relax. Drift away from us and reboot your energy" Malice murmured.

"Jaden can't duel like this, he can't concentrate if he is too focused on his wellbeing and trying to stay awake" Banner said.

"Come on Jaden. You are stronger than this. Who knows this whole energy draining thing could be a fake. It's just another head game" Yubel told him.

Jaden had a quick reaction to what Yubel just said. He turned around to her, he believed she was right. He may be feeling lethargic because he believes he has been weakened by the attack but it could all just be in his head. Jaden turned around back to Malice.

"Jaden, we all know you can do this" Syrus cheered.

"Hehehe, might want to tell your little fan club to give up on you, you're finished. Just like the duelists before you, they all fell and so will you" Malice said.

Jaden took a long, deep breath then yelled at the top of his lungs as if breaking free from a constricting spell. His body position changed from hunched to straight and strong again. Jaden smiled and held his duel disk up. Malice is shocked again.

"What's this? You should have passed out by now" Malice shrieked.

"Guess your theory of me losing has gone right out the window, I'm totally gonna pull of something special in the next few moves" Jaden replied.

"What makes you think that?" Malice asked.

"Because I'm Jaden Yuki, the best of the best, and I'm going to activate my face down card as a reply to your attack. It's a trap called Neo-Space Road, when Elemental Hero Neos is destroyed by battle, I can draw 1 card and end the battle phase" Jaden answered as he drew a card.

Malice lightly patted his chest and breathed out a sigh of relief. For a second there, he thought Jaden was going to destroy his monster.

"If that's all you got, I'm afraid you're going to lose eventually. You should have passed out, continuing this duel will only make you go through more pain. I end my turn" Malice said.

"Ok then, my move" Jaden said as he drew his card to begin his turn.

Jaden glanced at his hand; there are a couple of cards that'll help him out. Jaden has to play it smart, Malice intended to use brute strength to win this battle since Jaden managed to spoil every one of his strategies.

"I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in defense mode. Then I'll activate a spell card called Snatch Steal" Jaden exclaimed as he activated it.

"Awesome, that card is going to win it for Jaden" Syrus said to himself moving the top half of his body forward and his left foot one step, posing in a self assured way.

"Syrus is right, with that card Jaden can control one of Malice's monsters, even though Malice gets a 1000 point life boost each turn, Jaden will control his 4000 attack dragon" Banner said to Yubel who didn't avert her gaze to Professor Banner as he spoke.

"Since it is the only monster on your side of the field, I choose to control your Malefic Paradox Dragon" Jaden stated as his holographic spell card shot a green beam at the black dragon, as soon as it hit, the monster is Jaden's.

"You think it'll be that easy. I'm ready for anything; I play a trap called Malefic Force. I equip it to my Malefic Paradox Dragon who can't be affected by your spells, which means Malefic Paradox Dragon is no longer up for grabs and since there are no other monsters to control on my field your card goes straight to the graveyard" Malice explained as a colourful force field surrounded Malice's monster and negated the green beam.

Once Snatch Steal went to the graveyard, Malefic Force also disappeared. Malice used his face down card, so Jaden can try to destroy Malefic Paradox Dragon any way he can without worrying about Malice springing a trap or spell to save his monster.

"I'll just throw down a face down and end my turn" Jaden said.

_20__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 800lp_

_Cards in Hand: 6 Cards in Hand: 1_

_Banished: 10 Banished: 3_

"Once my beasts tears up your pitiful defenses you're mine. With the little life points you have left, you'll be defeated shortly. I do not activate the effect of Malefic Universe, I have a full hand after all" Malice said as he drew and looked at the card as it was revealed to him.

Malice's eyes went wide, then he started to chuckle, he drew a good card.

"I must have missed the joke" Jaden said.

"I drew a card in my deck that allows me to be ever so close to bringing out my most powerful monster. I summon Armageddon Knight" Malice shouted with a rough voice.

The monster looked like a male human with long black hair, rusty medieval armor, a musketeer sword and a red cloth to cover most of his face as well as white goggles to cover his eyes. It was an interesting looking monster.

"I think you're unaware of what my monster does. When it is summoned it allows me to send 1 dark monster from my deck to the graveyard" Malice said as he looked through his deck.

He quickly looked through them and found the one he wanted which was nearly at the bottom of his deck. He sent it to the graveyard, sneering at Jaden.

"I'm not done just yet, I activate the spell card called Reaper Deal. This card lets me add a monster from my graveyard to my hand as long as a tribute a monster on my side of the field. So be gone, Armageddon Knight" Malice said as his face-up monster went to the graveyard. He then recovered a monster from his graveyard, most likely the monster he sent from his deck into it.

"Malefic Paradox Dragon destroy his E-Hero Burstinatrix" Malice called as his monster blasted at Jaden's E-Hero.

"Usually a duelist would be hoping the opposition didn't attack with a monster that powerful but I certainly did wish that you would because I'm about to play a trap that'll even this duel out a bit more" Jaden said.

"What are you blabbering about?" Malice asked.

"I'll show you, I activate Draining Shield" Jaden replied as he swung his arm passed his chest and pointing to his right.

"Not Draining Shield, that negates my attack and increases your life points equal to the one that just attacked" Malice blubbered out.

"That's right so my life points increase by 4000 and my Burstinatrix is unharmed" Jaden replied.

Malice grunted as Jaden's life points soared.

"Way to go" Syrus commented.

Jaden turned around and gave a peace sign along with a wink. He turned back to the battlefield.

"So what if you've increased your life points, I'll wipe them out shortly. You're just delaying the inevitable. I end my turn" Malice replied trying not to sound too angry or distressed.

Jaden smiled as he drew a card. Even though Malice has the most powerful monster out at the moment, Jaden still had him on the ropes and made him sweat. Malice waited as Jaden thought of his move.

"I don't have much to do in this turn so I'll throw down another face down and call it a turn" Jaden said without a shred of a doubt.

_21__st__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 5600lp Jaden: 4800lp_

_Cards in Hand: 5 Cards in Hand: 1_

_Banished: 10 Banished: 3_

"This is ridiculous" Malice said drawing a card.

"What's ridiculous? Are you talking about my moves?" Jaden asked in a stirring way.

"I can't believe this, I'm the stronger one and yet he is the one who is pulling out all the stuff. Every time I attack he has a face down card waiting for me to either stall or destroy monsters my field. Maybe I shouldn't attack…no I must attack, I must win. I'll defeat him as quickly as possible" Malice thought loudly in his head as if he was screaming to himself.

Malice declared an attack without even thinking. Yubel chuckled.

"What's funny?" Banner asked.

"Malice is losing it; he doesn't consider anything Jaden has been putting down. He constantly attacks thinking power will lead him to victory. Jaden is in control of this duel" Yubel answered.

Malefic Paradox Dragon blasted at Burstinatrix.

"This spell card might not negate your attack but it will help me out. I activate Dark Spell Regeneration. I can only use this when you declare an attack; it lets me activate a spell card right away from either player's graveyard and I chose Card of Sanctity to give me a full hand of six cards and since you already have that you don't draw anything" Jaden explained as Malefic Paradox Dragon destroyed Elemental Hero Burstinatrix.

"You have no more monsters" Malice stated.

"Wanna bet. I activate my face down card that's been on the field for quite some time, N-Signal. When a monster on my side of the field is destroyed I can special summon a Neo-Spacian monster from my hand to the field and I chose Neo-Spacian Dark Panther in defense mode" Jaden said as his monster appeared.

"I'll wrap my turn up with 2 face down cards. Let's see what you can do with this new hand of yours Jaden" Malice told him.

"It'll be my pleasure to show you, my draw" Jaden said as he added another card to his hand giving him seven cards.

Jaden looked at it. Each card he looked at he got more and more joyful. He had a plan, a plan to turn things around even more. He looked at Malice, hiding half of his face behind his cards.

"Are you ready? I'm about to pull an awesome move, watch closely. First I activate the Dark Factory of Mass Production spell card which allows me to add two normal monsters from my graveyard to my hand" Jaden said as he grabbed two cards from his graveyard.

"Next I'll activate Elemental Calling; it lets me special summon as many normal Elemental Heroes from my hand in defense mode, so I'll summon Elemental Hero Avian and Burstinatrix in defense mode. Followed by the magic card Polymerization to fuse Avian and Burstinatrix to create the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman" Jaden explained his move as his fusion monster formed.

"So what if you have Flame Wingman out, what is he going to do?" Malice asked unimpressed.

"Hold your horses; I'm far from being done. Next I play Burial from the Different Dimension to return 3 banished monsters to my graveyard and since I have 3, I'll return them all. I activate Spell Mirage, it can copy any spell card that has already been used in the duel and I chose my best fusion card Miracle Fusion!" Jaden shouted as he held the card up high.

"I have just shifted into high gear. Win this Jaden" Syrus cheered, almost out of breath.

"I banish my Elemental Hero Flame Wingman from my field and E-Hero Sparkman from my graveyard to fusion summon…" Jaden said holding his card, making Malice wait in anticipation.

"I know exactly what Jaden is going to summon. It is time for Malice to meet…" Banner said as he trailed off.

"Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" Jaden continued as he summoned the card.

Malice stepped back; Jaden just summoned one of his best monsters.

"How could I let him do this?" Malice questioned himself as the powerhouse E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman appeared on the field. The warrior had a shiny, white aura around him; he looked like an angelic warrior. Malice stared at it, showing fear in his eyes.

Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman was in the air getting ready to tackle Malice's Malefic Paradox Dragon. Malice calmed down as he studied Jaden's monster.

"Hold on, why are you so happy that you summoned this monster? It only has 2500 attack, it's still weaker than my dragon" Malice chuckled with light sweats on his forehead.

"Hehe guess you totally forgot about my monster's ability. For each Elemental Hero monster in my graveyard he gets a 300 attack power boost" Jaden reminded him.

Malice grunted, Jaden found a way to defeat his Malefic Paradox Dragon. By calculating how many Elemental Heroes he had in his graveyard and +300 for each of them, Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman definitely had the most attack points.

"How much of a power boost did his monster get?" Malice wondered, trying to calculate how much Jaden's monster had.

Jaden pulled out all of his Elemental Heroes from his graveyard and counted them slowly. Malice watched him do it, feeling as if Jaden is purposely shoving it in his face.

"After a minor sum of adding up, just to let you know I have 11 in my graveyard making my E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman the strongest monster on the field with a total of 5800 attack" Jaden informed Malice.

"Jaden has done it, as soon as Shining Flare Wingman attacks, Malice will lose life points equal to that of Malefic Paradox Dragon" Banner remarked with a big smile on his face.

"Something is not right. Malice was all nervy before and now he looks calm" Yubel replied to Banner's cheerfulness. Professor Banner immediately stopped dancing around.

"Finish him off J" Syrus yelled to him.

"You're going to lose, go my Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman. Take down his dragon" Jaden declared as his monster soared towards Malefic Paradox Dragon.

Jaden watched, waiting anxiously to see if Malice was going to spring a trap.

"I activate the trap Common Soldier. When you attack I can decrease your monster's attack power; however I must banish a 4 star monster or lower from my graveyard. Half of its attack gets deducted from my life points and I can target the attacking monster and decrease its attack equal to the banished monster and I chose Malefic Soldier Dragon so your monster loses 1700 attack points and it stays like that from now on" Malice explained how his trap works.

"My monster is still stronger than yours by 100 attack and my monster's effect will wipe out most of your life points" Jaden replied.

"Not necessarily, I still have 1 more face down card, I reveal my Hallowed Life Barrier. All I have to do is discard 1 card from my hand and I take no damage what so ever this turn from neither attack nor effect" Malice countered as he discarded a card.

Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman sliced Malefic Paradox Dragon; the dragon exploded and was sent to the graveyard. Hallowed Life Barrier did its job; Malice didn't lose any life points from the battle or Jaden's monster's effect. Malice has a cleared out field.

"You're in trouble, even if you didn't take any damage from me this turn, you will next turn" Jaden said.

"Well done Jaden but all you've done is clear the way for something else, something grand, something almighty and I think you remember it very well, the base monster of all Malefics!" Malice replied as the purple aura returned again.

"You don't mean…" Jaden trailed off.

"That's right, by paying half my life points I can special summon my most wicked beast, the MALEFIC TRUTH DRAGON! AAAAAHHHH!" Malice screamed as a mass dose of adrenaline surged through his body. His fists clenched, his chest thrust out, electrical bolts sparked on his side of the field as he summoned the golden dragon. It rose above everything on the field.

Banner, Yubel and Syrus all gasped as the powerful 5000 attack dragon entered the battlefield behind Malice. Malice was thrilled, in a psychotic way. Outside Alexis and Jesse were staring into the void wondering how Jaden is doing, unbeknownst to them that their enemy just summoned an incredible creature.

"How do you think he's doing?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know, I'm not there am I?" Alexis snapped back.

"Alright, sorry" Jesse replied with a sad look.

"No I'm sorry, I'm just worried about them" Alexis said softly.

Suddenly there was some rustling in the nearby bushes. Alexis and Jesse became alerted and looked at the forest edge. Out of it came Chazz who was struggling to walk. In fact he was limping.

"Chazz, what are you doing here?" Alexis asked furiously.

"She's right, you should be in bed resting" Jesse told him, concerned for Chazz.

"Just relax, I'm ok. I came here to ensure that, that guy loses. What is that black thing anyway?" Chazz asked.

Jesse turned around to look at it as he spoke, "We don't know. I went into to it and I was almost trapped. Like I told Alexis, to me, it looked like a ruined universe" Jesse answered.

"So Jaden is dueling in there huh? Typical, he always gets stuck in these weird, magical, dimensions in his duels in order to save the world," Chazz replied and continued with asking what the plan was.

"We don't have one, we can't seem to get through so all we can do is hope" Alexis said as all three of them awaited for the void to disappear. Back inside Jaden eyed the monster he must tackle with.

"Yes Jaden stare into the eyes of defeat. My Malefic Truth Dragon is a powerhouse with 5000 attack and he is stronger than your Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, so end your turn so I can devastate you with him" Malice told him.

"Fine, since I can't do much else, I end my turn" Jaden replied in an unhappy tone.

_22__nd__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 2375lp Jaden: 4800lp_

_Cards in Hand: 2 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 11 Banished: 2_

"It's been a while, but I think I'll activate the effect of Malefic Universe, chose your card Jaden" Malice said holding up three cards which Jaden must chose 1 out random. He chose the middle one. The rest is shuffled back into the deck and Malice drew one more card.

"Thank you Jaden, by destroying a Malefic monster on my side of the field you've allowed me to summon my Malefic Truth Dragon from my hand and all I had to do was half my life points. Although my life points won't stay this low for long, I set 1 card face down, and then I activate Emergency Provisions. For each set card I send to the graveyard I gain 1000 life points" Malice said to Jaden as his life point meter went up.

"Great, just great, I finally destroy Malefic Paradox Dragon and then something worse is summoned, this just isn't my day" Jaden thought.

"These Malefics are something else, you destroy one and an even stronger monster emerges, I hope Jaden will be ok" Syrus thought.

Malice laughed out of the blue while looking at his hand.

"You know, I never understood why Paradox came to this era to change the past and then return to the future world. Why go back to the future where you are equaled? Why not stay here, where you are unstoppable and no one comes close to the potential threat you can cause. Time travel has many advantages, not only in technology but also the monsters and strategies available. Paradox had all the advantages available to him but he didn't execute them all" Malice lectured Jaden.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Jaden asked.

"I'm trying to tell you to not take things for granted because I certainly did. One of the worst things you could do is have something and not appreciate it while it's there. My father died in a war that was going on back then and when I found out, I didn't want to believe it. I ran to my room in shock. My grieving was tough to go through; I always told myself that I wasn't a good enough son. I could have spent more time with him, help him with house chores and work but instead I ignored him. When he asked me to do things I didn't want to do it and that hurt me the most. My life became even harder, my mother fell into a deep depression and she became very ill, I knew she could barely look after herself let alone me. I offered to go to an orphanage since I didn't have any other family around. I wanted my mother to get better, that was the main reason why I left. Going to school was a nightmare, always looked down upon by others who still have it all. After a while, I left the orphanage I couldn't bare it anymore. I wanted to rebuild my life; I wanted to go back home. When I did, I found it was empty, sold to another family. I searched for my mother for days, weeks and even months. She just disappeared. There was no evidence of her death so I knew she was around somewhere. I worked so I could survive and stayed at a good friend's house that I worked with. As I analyzed society, I came to learn that humans are evil. People go and fight wars for ridiculous reasons, while the people who call the shots sit back, relax and watch others die!" Malice spoke loudly.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, there is nothing that I can do to take it all back and what people have done is wrong although you don't have a right to wipe everyone out, there is still good people out there" Jaden replied.

"You're so naive Jaden. Everyone has a dark side, a ying to a yang; it is only a matter of time before it is released. Besides the media is the biggest distraction in today's society so no one discovers the corruption behind closed doors. The cowards hiding behind their big businesses, you have no idea. All these youngsters playing violent war games, yet they do not realize that they are just being prepared for war; they are slowly becoming insensitive about killing. So much is happening around you yet everyone is blinded by normal day to day things, paying bills, working and watching TV. The humans have to wake up. Actually now that I think about it, I'm really looking forward to exterminating the specie. Duel Monsters is an alternative type of battling, in this time it's all about fun, in the future it'll be used to fix histories mistakes. Do you understand Jaden? This is why I'm doing this, to prevent the extinction of our people and create a fresh start by eliminating as much black heart people as possible. Most preferably the ones in power" Malice explained.

"I don't care what vision you have of this world. You're going to hurt others by what you believe and I won't allow it. If you don't mind I'll like to finish this duel so I can win" Jaden snapped back.

"Very well, let's continue. The next monster I'm about to summon is nothing like you've ever seen, it is a creature born from total darkness. I also may have been a little misleading about Malefic Truth Dragon being my strongest monster" Malice told Jaden.

"It doesn't worry me, I'm ready for the challenge" Jaden replied holding his right fist up in front of him.

"This doesn't make sense, Paradox clearly stated that his Malefic Truth Dragon is his best" Banner said to Yubel.

"Jaden has to be ready for anything; whatever is coming next could be the last monster he ever sees" Yubel said with a very nervous tone in her voice. She lightly chocked as she spoke.

Syrus gulped and kept watching, his eyes fixated on the duel. Even though he was afraid, he wanted to see this new monster. Malice held up a card.

"Prepare yourself, for what I'm about to summon will be so terrifying, you'll beg not to face it. I created this card myself especially for this occasion. I drew the design on an empty card Paradox gave me usually used for stealing the spirits of other cards, and with the force of the Malefics; I created the dragon that'll devastate the Earth. It represents all that I'm going to do to this world. Its power rivals even that of a Sacred Beast!" Malice barked out like a man on a long, long power streak.

Banner, Yubel and Syrus all gasped. Jaden wasn't too sure about this new monster, was Malice joking about the strength of this thing? Only a few monsters are either equal or stronger than a Sacred Beast and Jaden knows them all. If Malice is telling the truth, Jaden is going to have to deal with a creature that has the potential to wipe out cities in an instance. He waited for Malice to play the card. Malice's left eye twitched as he played the card.

"I activate the spell card called Sin Dimension Ritual. I must have Malefic World in play, I have Malefic Universe so it counts, and I must tribute Malefic Truth Dragon in order to ritual summon my MALEFIC APOCALYPSE DRAGON!" Malice shouted as he summoned the great beast.

Malefic Truth Dragon roared as its body slowly vanished, its body turned into millions of little pink energy balls. The energy balls came together into a huge one and electrical bolts shot out of it. The static and power coming out of the energy ball was incredible. Jaden had to block his face from the strong winds being generated by it. Syrus took a step back, not liking what was about to appear. The energy ball exploded and out of it came the shadow of a monstrous sized dragon. Jaden moved his arm away so he could see it.

"I thought the Malefic Truth Dragon was big" Jaden commented looking at the black shadow of Malefic Apocalypse Dragon who looked ten times bigger.

Malefic Apocalypse Dragon came into view; it's got a bulky build, with black jagged spikes all over the back of its body, two large wings, red on the inner part but black and white on the outer part. Its arms are thick with giant claws. Overall it has a dinosaur/dragon appearance with snarling nostrils, yellow eyes, razor sharp teeth and a large horn at the top of its nose. Its base colour is black and white, with different patterns on its body. It also has an orange orb on its chest. It had 5000 attack and defense and is a 12 star monster. Jaden's eyes were filled with fear. When Malefic Apocalypse Dragon roared, it was deafening, Jaden closed his ears with his hands. Syrus fell to his knees still looking at it. The roar created visible sonic waves that echoed all around the battlefield. Banner and Yubel couldn't speak; to them the dragon looked like a Sacred Beast. Jaden looked back down to look at Malice but could see he wasn't there.

"Malice, where are you?" Jaden asked, calling out to him.

"Up here Jaden" Malice replied, his voice echoing.

Jaden looked up and inside the orange orb was Malice, floating inside it.

"How did you get up there?" Jaden asked.

"This is my creation Jaden and I control it. This orange orb is like the control centre. I am part of this beast" Malice answered.

"He's nuts," Jaden huffed.

"It is time for you to feel the wrath of the Apocalypse Jaden. You will feel the unrelenting force of the end of the world. Attack Malefic Apocalypse Dragon with Calamity Blast" Malice ordered.

The red/orange blast is powering up in the dragon's mouth. It looked like a flame yet it wasn't. It was more of plasma looking beam. Yellow electricity sparked from the mouth. Jaden's Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman will be destroyed and who knows what damage Jaden will have to sustain. The blast is released.

"Farewell Jaden!" Malice yelled as the attack hit Jaden's monster.

Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman didn't last long; the blast incinerated him in an instant. When the blast hit the ground, Jaden was engulfed in the explosion. Jaden screamed at the top of his lungs as the blast took a massive toll on his body. It felt realistic as if his body is burning from the fiery walls that surrounded him. His mind went blank, his eyes turned pure white as if he had no soul. The shock wave was intense; it knocked Syrus onto the ground. Yubel and Banner were also affected, for some reason; they too can feel the heat of the fire which surrounded Jaden's side of the field. No one could see Jaden, the explosion hasn't subsided yet. Alexis, Jesse and Chazz were waiting outside on the peaceful hill, until the shock wave broke through the walls of the Malefic Universe. They heard a bang noise but before they could react. The shock wave sent them flying backwards. Their feet lifted off the ground, their bodies thrown away from the duel landing on their backs many meters away from the space-like void.

"What was that?" Jesse cried slowly getting up.

"Whatever it was it came from inside" Chazz said.

"Jaden…" Alexis said softly.

The three of them ran back to the outside of the duel.

"I hope that Jaden wasn't at the end of that blast" Jesse said as they all stared at the Malefic Universe wondering what is happening inside.

Inside, the duel still continues, Jaden life points went down by 900 and thick smoke covered the field. Malefic Apocalypse Dragon stood strong along with Malice inside who is curious to see what happened to Jaden, with a smile he glanced down. Syrus got up, small and steady breaths left his mouth. Banner and Yubel kept looking at Jaden's side of the field as the smoke slowly cleared. When it finally did, Jaden was seen lying on the ground on his back with his eyes closed. Around him is the devastation the blast caused. It looked as if an earthquake happened, cracks and holes were all over the place on the ground. Jaden's only monster, Neo Spacian Dark Panther still remains but no sign of Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman who now resides in the graveyard. Syrus' eyes went a little teary.

"Jaden, please get up" Syrus whimpered.

Jaden didn't move. Banner had a look of heavy sadness on his face, he put his head down. Yubel had slight tears coming out of her eyes as well. Malice was pleased,

"I finally won. He may still have plenty of life points but that doesn't matter when you're gone" Malice said.

"Jaden! Jaden!" Syrus wailed with his eyes closed. He just lost his best friend.

Jaden lied there, lifeless. Yubel just looked at him. She held her hand to her heart again and closed her eyes. She concentrated hard on something. Banner looked at her without any clue of what she was doing. Yubel listened; her spirit is connected to Jaden's so whatever he felt, she felt. She scrunched her eyes as if she is in pain, she listened harder, a sound could be heard. She could hear…a heartbeat, a very weak heartbeat. Jaden is very weak after that blast but he was still alive.

"Jaden is alive, I'm going to help him" Yubel said.

"Are you sure?" Banner asked.

"Yes, I can feel it. I'm going to go back inside Jaden and become one again that'll give Jaden my energy; it should give him enough strength to keep fighting" Yubel answered.

Banner looked at her and nodded with a smile. Yubel floated to Jaden and went inside him, their souls becoming one again. Yubel spoke to Jaden.

"Jaden, can you hear me?" Yubel asked.

Jaden opened his eyes but realized he wasn't at the duel; he looked like he was in another realm. All he could see was blinding, white light everywhere. It looked like a vast area of nothing.

"Where am I?" Jaden asked as he got up.

"You are in a dream state; your body is in shock from the blast. I've joined with you again, I'm giving you my strength, and with it you should be able to continue and win" Yubel said.

Jaden didn't say anything at first. He just looked at Yubel who stared into his eyes, her eyes filled with hope.

"I'll do my best" Jaden told her.

"Good, that's all we can ask. Go out there and end this duel" Yubel replied as Jaden's eyes went wide open.

He lied on the ground and didn't move. He breathed slowly;

"I must admit, I'm quite pleased with this win, not only did I beat Jaden, it also showed me my monster can devastate anything in its path" Malice said talking to himself with his eyes closed.

He looked down;

"It is time to clean up the mess…what's this?" Malice barked as he saw Jaden slowly getting up.

Syrus jumped into the air in joy.

"Alright J, you're so awesome" Syrus cheered.

Professor Banner also jumped for joy. He clicked his fingers in succession as Jaden stood firmly on both feet. His head down, his knees slightly bent. It looked as if he was carrying a ton on his back. Malice didn't have any words to describe on how he couldn't believe Jaden got up.

"This isn't possible. You were struck down by the apocalypse in its physical form. How did you manage to get up or even breathe?" Malice asked loudly, confused.

Jaden didn't answer him, he lifted his head, his eyes were glowing, one green the other red. Jaden smiled and looked up at Malice as a blue aura appeared around Jaden; he then lifted his duel disk to his chest.

"Here's the deal bro, losing for me is not an option. Let's keep dueling!" Jaden shouted.

Malice is dumbstruck. He let off a gruff sigh as if he was afraid. He just didn't understand how a mere teen could stand up after that. Then it hit him.

"You must have been assisted in some way in order to survive that. Which spirit helped you Jaden?" Malice asked.

Jaden's blue aura disappeared.

"My favourite spirit monster of them all, Yubel" Jaden answered.

"So she provided you with the necessary strength to keep going. Hahaha that means all I have to do is manage to strike you down one more time. Not even her help will save you then. Since I have no cards I'll end my turn" Malice replied not worried anymore.

"Here I go, look out" Jaden said as he drew a card.

Jaden didn't have much that could help him right now. Malice's monster is too strong to deal with at the moment.

"I'm just gonna throw down a face down and call it a turn" Jaden said as his face down card appeared onto the field.

_23__rd__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 3375lp Jaden: 3900lp_

_Cards in Hand: 0 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 11 Banished: 2_

Jaden's Neo-Spacian Dark Panther will protect him and so will his face down card. Malice activated the effect of Malefic Universe, allowing him to gain 1 Malefic card from his deck by Jaden randomly selecting one out of the three and an extra card.

"As I have said before Jaden my Malefic Apocalypse Dragon is the best I have and not just because it has 5000 attack and defense which is the same as my Malefic Truth Dragon. It has several special abilities that make it quite a handful to defeat. These effects were designed to give it no weaknesses, so no one could stop the end. The first effect is that my monster can't be destroyed by battle" Malice informed Jaden.

"So even if I summon a monster strong enough to beat your dragon, he won't be destroyed?" Jaden asked clearing things up.

"Correct but that's not all, I can also choose 1 out of 3 optional effects each turn. Allow me to tell you the first since I need to use it. I pay 500 of my life points to negate all spell and trap cards on the field, a small price to pay to be so safe from any face down cards" Malice said.

"No way" Jaden cried.

"Without his face down surprises and not being able to destroy it by battle how can this thing be stopped?" Syrus wondered.

Malice looked right at Jaden with a big smirk.

"Without any defenses you can't stop me. My Malefic Apocalypse Dragon will now attack" Malice said as he ordered the attack.

Jaden would have used his face down card but due to Malefic Apocalypse Dragon's effect he can't activate any spells or traps this turn. Luckily he had his monster with him in defense. Calamity Blast destroyed Jaden's Neo Spacian Dark Panther. The force of the blast was intense just like before however Jaden was ok since he took no damage. The shock wave caused tremors as it surged around the battlefield. The flames that came out of it warmed the cool air.

"I'll finish up by setting 1 card face down. Let's see what you can do" Malice said as his turn ended.

"I can do plenty" Jaden replied as he drew a card.

"I activate the spell card The Shallow Grave. Both of us get to chose 1 monster from our graveyard and special summon that monster in face-down defense position" Jaden said as he selected his monster and played it face down.

Jaden watched Malice as he looked through his graveyard. Malice didn't give the card much thought but there is more to this plan than meets the eye. Malice also played a monster in face down position.

"I end my turn" Jaden declared.

_24__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 3375lp Jaden: 3900lp_

_Cards in Hand: 1 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 11 Banished: 2_

Malice activated the effect of Malefic Universe but this time he looked a little nervous as he did it. Jaden chose a 1 card of the 3 and the rest was shuffled back into whatever is left of Malice's deck.

"I must be cautious in using my 2 draw advantage. My deck is really thinning out. I won't have many cards left if I keep using it and if I run out I'll lose. Thankfully Jaden is also running out of cards in his deck. If neither of us takes out the others life points one of us will win by default due to the other having no cards left in his deck" Malice thought to himself.

Jaden looked up at Malice who is still inside the orange orb on the dragon's chest. It growled as Jaden looked into its eyes. Malice grinned;

"I'm going to activate my face down card; once I do you're in major trouble of multiple attacks to your life points. It is called Malefic Back-up Unit. It works like this I can special summon two Malefic monsters from my graveyard directly to the field in face-up attack position however their attack is halved" Malice explained as his card activated.

Malice special summoned Malefic Cyber End Dragon and Malefic Stardust Dragon from his graveyard. His two monsters were weakened but were still a threat.

"I have three incredible monsters on the field along with one face down defense and you have only one" Malice laughed manically, it echoed.

"Alright relax. I know that you have outnumbered me but it doesn't mean anything" Jaden replied a little confused.

"Don't tell me…another Malefic Apocalypse Dragon effect" Banner cried.

"Be careful J, he isn't the one to be confident for no reason" Syrus told him.

"Things have just become a lot tougher for you Jaden. My dragon's ability will activate. For every Malefic monster I have on the field my monster's attack increases by 1000" Malice said.

Jaden, Banner and Syrus gasped as Malefic Apocalypse Dragon's attack increased to 7000. Victory looked slim for Jaden, Malice is in total control.

"I activate the spell Axe of Despair. I equip it to my Malefic Stardust Dragon increasing its attack by 1000" Malice said as Malefic Stardust Dragon's total attack rose to 2250.

"That's not all it is time for me activate one of the three optional effects this turn. I decided to use a different effect this turn, it suits with what I want to do this turn. I want you to see the full extent of my dragon's power before I crush you. I will halve the attack of my Malefic Apocalypse Dragon giving it the ability to cause piercing battle damage even when your monster is in defense position" Malice explained as his dragon's attack went down to 3500 which is still a high attack power.

Jaden started to sweat. He has no defense against the attack. Malefic Apocalypse Dragon's Calamity Blast is gathering its energy in the dragon's mouth. Jaden's defense and life points are going to be hit hard. The blast is released and it struck Jaden's monster, wiping it off the field. It was Elemental Hero Clayman which means Jaden lost 1500 life points. The ground shook as the blast hit it. It truly did create a calamity. The field is physically wreaked, showing the fierce war going on between two duelists. The duel has become more serious than just a card game. Malice's monsters are becoming more real. Jaden has no monsters to defend his life points. The draining of his energy took a toll on him. This is Yubel's energy he is using and if she runs out he'll have nothing left either. His vision blurred out from time to time due to fatigue.

"I believe this is the attack to finish you off. Malefic Stardust Dragon rid Jaden of his remaining life points. Bring me to victory" Malice shouted as his dragon blasted directly at Jaden.

"I activate my face down card. A trap called Chrysalis Rescue. By discarding 1 Chrysalis monster from my hand I can special summon 4 Chrysalis tokens in defense mode" Jaden said as he discarded a card.

The trap immediately took effect, 4 tokens appeared. One of them was destroyed by Malefic Stardust Dragon's attack leaving only 3 left. The tokens looked just like different coloured crystal objects. All of them are a sphere shape and a different colour, red, blue, green and yellow. The yellow one was destroyed. As the attack hit, the token shattered.

"Lucky I had this card face down otherwise I would have lost. Thankfully you didn't use your negating ability then you have damaged my life points even more. Oh well, live and learn" Jaden said.

Malice was unimpressed;

"You think just because you keep delaying the inevitable you still have a chance. I'm starting to see you are not as good as everyone says. You're' just a coward hiding behind his stalling cards" Malice replied standing proudly inside the chest of his monster.

"Malefic Cyber End Dragon get rid of another token" Malice ordered his dragon who shot its 3 fireballs at the green one when commanded. It too was destroyed. Jaden only has 2 tokens left and has to deal with three monsters.

"I end my turn at that" Malice said as his Malefic Apocalypse Dragon's attack went back up to 7000.

Jaden drew a card and set 1 monster face down.

"I can manage 1 more turn so go ahead and do your worst" Jaden told him taking a step forward in an assertive way.

_25__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 3375lp Jaden: 2400lp_

_Cards in Hand: 2 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 11 Banished: 2_

"Come on Jaden, let's wrap things up already. I activate the effect of Malefic Universe for the final time" Malice said.

"Now that I have 2 more cards in my hand, I have more options of defeating you. Although I don't need to use them just yet. I'm going to activate the third optional effect of my Malefic Apocalypse Dragon. For each card I discard from my hand, my dragon can automatically destroy 1 card on your side of the field. So I will send 3 cards from my hand to the graveyard so all 3 of your monsters are destroyed" Malice said as Malefic Apocalypse Dragon sent both tokens and Jaden's face down Card Trooper to the graveyard leaving Jaden open for a direct attack.

"Jaden has nothing to defend himself" Banner cried.

"There is nothing he can do. You did your best J" Syrus mumbled.

Jaden awaited his fate; he closed his eyes and waited for the attack that'll get rid of the rest of his life points. He had them closed for over 10 seconds and nothing happened. He looked up at Malice.

"What's going on?" Banner wondered.

"Uh, aren't you going to attack me with your other two monsters?" Jaden asked.

"As much as I would love to do that, I cannot. If I chose this effect I can't attack you directly this turn so I guess you're lucky again" Malice answered.

"Guess that's a little flaw in your monster's design huh?" Jaden told him.

"You can't always have your way. I assumed you'd know that. There are limitations at the moment but once I become stronger, I will rid my dragon's flaws starting with that one. Now go" Malice snapped.

Jaden looked at his deck, if he doesn't draw a good card. He will lose this time. He is out of options. As he stared at his deck, slightly in doubt Winged Kuriboh appeared in spirit form trying to communicate with Jaden.

"What are you saying? Am I going to draw a good card?" Jaden asked.

Winged Kuriboh constantly made sounds, Jaden couldn't understand it. The little hairball monster pointed at Banner and Syrus.

"I think I get it. Everyone is behind me; they are all counting on me. I'm not about to lose. I draw" Jaden thought to himself as Winged Kuriboh nodded and disappeared. Jaden looked at the card and grinned.

"Well did you enjoy your final draw?" Malice asked trying to sound like a smart aleck.

"I did actually; thanks to this card I may be able to put the odds back in my favor. It is a risky move and it may cost me the duel but I have to win this no matter what so I activate the spell Draw from the Different Dimension. Here is how it works, I must banish monsters equal to how many of my monsters that have been already banished. So since I have two banished monsters I must banish two from my graveyard. I'll banish E-Hero Bladedge and Neo-Spacian Dark Panther. The next part is good, I must do the good old switcheroo, the two monsters originally banished return to my graveyard and for each card I can draw from my deck. So that means I can draw 2 cards" Jaden explained.

"That's a rare card. Honestly I haven't heard of it" Malice commented.

"I'm not done yet, next I'll activate the spell card Double or Nothing. It is a game of chance, I can choose from 2 different effects but I'll choose the first one. A coin will flip and if I call right I can double the amount of cards in my hand but if I call wrong I lose my hand. Pretty simple" Jaden told him.

Malice just watched as the holographic coin appeared and flipped.

"I call heads" Jaden declared.

The coin is still flipping in the air, it's making its way down. Banner and Syrus are hypnotized by the coin. They're fingers are crossed that it is heads. The coin hit the ground…it is heads.

"Alright!" Jaden and Syrus cheered.

"I swear, the amount of luck you get is ridiculous. You have a knack for it, perhaps I shall invite you to play poker with me at a casino one night hahaha" Malice joked.

Jaden has six cards in his hand. His deck has greatly thinned because of it though. He has to be careful. He will only be able to last so many turns.

"There is a little bit of a downside, my opponent is allowed to draw half of what I have in my hand so draw your 3 cards" Jaden said.

"Thank you, I'll take the positive side of your card without hesitation" Malice said as he drew.

"Finally my plan can go to work. I have a few tricks up my sleeve and thanks to the previous two cards I played it's given me the opportunity to take you down. I activate the spell card Premature Burial. By paying 800 life points I can special summon a monster from my graveyard and I choose Elemental Hero Neos" Jaden said as his trademark monster appeared.

The spell card is equipped to Neos, but if the spell card goes so does Jaden's monster.

"So what if you summoned him, he'll be gone next turn, I assure you" Malice asserted.

Jaden looked amused to how clueless Malice was.

"I'm not done, man you love to rush to conclusions. I'm going to reveal to you what my plan was. You see when I played The Shallow Grave, I knew exactly which monster you would choose" Jaden revealed.

"But how?" Malice asked.

"Simple, I concentrated on your deck. Your Malefics cannot be special summoned unless their original version is banished, you can't special summon your originals because they were removed from the game and you wouldn't bring back your Morphing Jar because it is too risky to draw 5 cards from your depleting deck so there is only 1 monster left and that is your Armageddon Knight which is the exact monster I needed" Jaden explained.

"No Way! You are clever than you look" Malice replied.

"Thanks and since I know that is your monster there is no point to hiding it anymore. I'm going to use your monster to help me out" Jaden said.

"Oh really? You've used your Snatch Steal and besides my Armageddon Knight is too weak to help you at all so there is no point" Malice told him.

"Wrong, I'm about to play the rarest card in my deck. I play the spell card Super Polymerization" Jaden yelled with a big grin on his face as he showed the card to Malice.

"You still have that card!" Malice cried.

"Yes I do, I fuse my Elemental Hero Neos with your Armageddon Knight to create Elemental Hero Neos Knight!" Jaden yelled as his fusion monster appeared.

"You played that card against Paradox. You can fuse E-Hero Neos with any warrior type monster and half of that warrior type monster's attack is added to Neos' attack" Malice said.

"You pay attention. My Elemental Hero Neos has 3200 attack" Jaden stated.

Malice didn't know what to make of this move. Even if Elemental Hero Neos Knight is the 2nd strongest on the field he still pales compared to the mighty Malefic Apocalypse Dragon.

"Attack his Malefic Stardust Dragon" Jaden commanded as his monster held its big sword high and slashed Malefic Stardust Dragon, sending it to the graveyard. Axe of Despair is also sent to the graveyard since the monster it was equipped to is gone.

"That's not all, if my Neos Knight destroys a monster in battle it is allowed to attack again" Jaden informed Malice.

"Two attacks!" Malice cried as his Malefic Cyber End Dragon is also destroyed but due to E-Hero Neos Knight effect, Malice doesn't suffer any battle damage so his life points are unaffected from the attacks. Malefic Apocalypse Dragon's attack decreased back to 5000 since there are no other Malefic monsters on the field.

"I end my turn with 2 face downs" Jaden said.

_26__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 3375lp Jaden: 1600lp_

_Cards in Hand: 4 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Banished: 11 Banished: 2_

"This duel is growing tiresome; I'm not amused at all anymore. I have more important things to do. I want to win right now and I'll do it with this" Malice said as he drew a card, not activating his Malefic Universe effect.

Both duelists don't have many cards left, both have less than 10. It is only a matter of time before the victor is declared.

"I activate De-Fusion to split up your Elemental Neos Knight into the two original fusion material monsters" Malice said as Neos Knight separated into E-Hero Neos and Armageddon Knight.

"I'll beat you by destroying your favourite monster, Calamity Blast!" Malice ordered as it pointed to E-Hero Neos.

Malefic Apocalypse Dragon attacked, the fiery, orange/red, electrical blast is released. Jaden wasn't worried, he had a plan.

"I activate the trap card Call of the Earthbound, this trap allows me to choose the target for your attack and I chose Armageddon Knight" Jaden said as Calamity Blast changed direction.

"But why? There is no difference, you'll still lose" Malice replied in shock.

Calamity Blast struck Armageddon Knight, incinerating it in mere seconds. Elemental Hero Neos jumped in front of Jaden and shielded him from the shockwaves and fiery wrath of the blast. Jaden covered his face with his arm, once the violent after effects of the attack subsided, Jaden thanked Neos. E-Hero Neos nodded, the spirit protected him. Malice looked down with a smirk; it took him sometime to realize that Jaden still had the same amount of life points. When he did realize the life points haven't dropped, not only was he anxious but very unhappy.

"I don't get it, you should be wiped out" Malice screamed in fury.

Jaden looked and chuckled;

"I would have if it wasn't for this card" Jaden said holding up a Kuriboh.

"Wha…you…you don't have that card in your deck" Malice stuttered.

"I added it after realizing how helpful it could be and how much it assisted Yugi in his duels so I had both Winged Kuriboh and the original" Jaden replied.

"Because of Kuriboh's effect you took no battle damage from my attack" Malice pointed out.

"That's right and all I needed to do was discard it from my hand when your attack hit" Jaden added.

Malice wasn't pleased, next turn he is going to use his dragons' effect to negate Jaden's spell and trap cards so he can win. Malice has become too overconfident with his dragon and yet Jaden still has a minor cockiness attitude with him. Malice set 1 card face down and ended his turn.

"May as well be your last turn, my dragon is too powerful to be stopped and you don't have anything left in your pathetic deck to stop it" Malice commented as Jaden drew a card.

Jaden didn't reply, action speaks louder than words; his next turn will cause some major head spinning. Malice studied every card in Jaden's deck both when he dueled and on the Duel Academy database and knows that there are no cards in it that can stop his dragon. Even if he had a stronger monster, his monster can't be destroyed in battle.

"I'm ready" Jaden said still looking in his hand.

Malice, Banner and Syrus all didn't know what he meant by that.

"Huh? Ready for what?" Syrus asked.

"I'm ready to get rid of his Malefic Apocalypse Dragon" Jaden answered staring directly at Malice who went wide eyed.

"You lie, I know your deck inside and out, there is not a single card that can destroy my dragon" Malice told him.

"Guess you don't know me well enough, I have made a few changes to my deck over the past year but I'll let you see it for yourself. I play my third and final Polymerization!" Jaden shouted showing everyone the card.

"The fusion card but Jaden doesn't have any strong fusions left unless…this is a new monster" Banner said to himself.

"Watch closely, I'm about to create a new fusion monster with my E-Hero Neos and it will be able to beat your dragon because of another flaw it has" Jaden told Malice.

"Another flaw, what are you talking about?" Malice asked from inside the orb with his mouth open with light sweat showing on the sides of his face.

Jaden didn't say anything after that he just went on with his move.

"I fuse Elemental Hero Neos and my D.D. Assailant to form Different Dimension Neos!" Jaden yelled as his new monster appeared after the two fusion materials collided.

Different Dimension Neos looks like the regular Neos except he is more of a dark blue colour rather than grey. He has a swirl pattern on its chest which is red. He also is carrying a large blade which was the same held by D.D. Assailant. It has 8 stars and has 3000 attack points and 2300 defense points.

"I've never seen or heard of this card before" Malice cried.

"Where did Jaden get that, this is a rare form of Neos. He had to fuse a Different Dimension monster with Neos in order to create this card. What I don't get is when Jaden added a D.D. monster into his deck" Banner said.

"…Where does he get this stuff…" Syrus stammered, sweat dropping.

"You think just because you pulled a rabbit out of your hat you performed a good show? You have a lot more to learn, your monster is still weaker than mine" Malice told him.

"You are the one who has to learn, you are on such a long power streak that you don't realize that power doesn't always win the battle, it's the smart ones that prevail and my new monster has a certain ability that'll give you a lesson in that. Attack Different Dimension Neos with Banishment Sword Swipe" Jaden commanded.

Malice, Banner and Syrus all gasped. Jaden's monster is weaker and if the attack hits Jaden will lose due to the battle damage he'll suffer. Not only that, Yubel's energy will also be drained. Jaden won't be able to recover.

"You're a fool, this will never work" Malice said as Different Dimension Neos sliced at Malefic Apocalypse Dragon's chest making a huge gash in its chest right next to the orange orb Malice was in.

The gash shone brightly, the attack wasn't over. The light was blinding to Malice since he was so close, he covered his eyes with his arm.

"What's going on?" Malice asked.

"My Different Dimension Neos' special ability activated, that's what. When he attacks a monster stronger than him I can negate all battle damage and automatically banish the monster that was attacked as long as I also remove my Different Dimension Neos" Jaden explained.

The gash's light then exploded out of its chest and surrounded Malefic Apocalypse Dragon. Different Dimension Neos created a large portal leading to another dimension and due to D.D. Neos' attack Malefic Apocalypse Dragon is forced to go through the portal, followed by D.D. Neos. Malice's dragon tried to resist but it couldn't stop itself. The light aura surrounding the dragon is like a magnet to the portal which is pulling the mighty beast in. Malice grunted in frustration.

"No this can't be happening, my dragon is unstoppable!" Malice yelled as the orange orb shattered. Malice is teleported back to the ground while his great beast is sucked into the portal along with D.D. Neos. Both monsters have been removed from play.

Jaden looked at Malice who looked as if he was paralyzed. He constantly mumbled something but it was too low for Jaden to hear.

"You see your monster's weakness now?" Jaden asked.

Malice didn't reply, he looked at Jaden, rage burned in his eyes.

"Your monster cannot be destroyed in battle or targeted by spells and traps but there is nothing on it that says it can't be removed from the game. So I banished it along with my monster. Luckily for me there is more to my monster's effect, when I did what I just did I'm allowed to return a banished monster straight to the field however I cannot chose the two that were just banished so I'm going to bring back Elemental Hero Bladedge" Jaden explained as his E-Hero returned as it jumped out from another portal.

Malice has no monsters and Jaden has his strongest non-fusion E-Hero out. Things looked bleak for Malice.

"I'm not done yet, I play my face down card. It's a trap called Different Dimension Virus. It works like this, the monster that was just removed from the game on your side of the field; you lose life points equal to half of its attack points" Jaden said as he lifted his fist up to his face in glee.

A burst of red energy struck Malice. He yelled as he lost 2500 life points, which is a big decrease. Malice fell onto one knee in pain, and then he looked up at his foe.

"You'll regret that move. It isn't over till it's over" Malice told him as he slowly got up.

"You don't have enough life points to survive against my next attack so I'll strike you down with my Elemental Hero Bladedge!" Jaden replied as he declared an attack.

E-Hero Bladedge is running towards Malice, he is going for a direct attack and if it hits, Jaden will win. The attack is so close.

"You did it" Syrus cheered.

Malice smiled at the remark;

"I don't think so. I activate my face down card, a quick spell known as Malefic Comeback. When you declare an attack I'm allowed to special summon 1 Malefic monster from my graveyard in defense position, however the selected monster cannot be changed to attack position. I'll bring back Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon" Malice countered.

Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon returned in defense mode, strangely Malice brought back a monster in defense with weaker defense points than E-Hero Bladedge's attack points. Jaden immediately called off the attack.

"Why did you stop attacking?" Malice asked.

"Something is up, you could have brought back your stronger monsters with 2800 defense or more, instead you brought back a weaker one. I know you're not that stupid so I used my chance to call off the attack. The rules state that I can chose whether to attack or not if you activate a card that doesn't target my monster. So I'm going to end my turn" Jaden answered.

_27__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 875lp Jaden: 1600lp_

_Cards in Hand: 3 Cards in Hand: 1_

_Banished: 12 Banished: 2_

"Jaden is a lot cleverer than I originally thought; I wanted him to go in for the attack so I can win this duel next turn, I needed him to attack. I may not have my Malefic Apocalypse Dragon anymore but that doesn't matter. I have a more reliable card right now that I can use. Jaden just has to play his part. The problem is I have no more monsters in my deck so the only way to bring them back is from the graveyard and I have one card that can do that" Malice thought hoping that things go to plan as he drew a card.

"I end my turn without doing anything" Malice said.

Jaden jerked back, he was still unsure about attacking.

"Come on Jaden, take my bait because you'll have to attack sooner or later and when you do, boy you'll be in for a surprise" Malice thought as he laughed a soft gruff laugh.

Jaden watched Malice carefully, trying to decide to attack or not. He drew his card and looked at his small hand. Jaden set 1 card face down.

"I'm just gonna throw down a face down, now Elemental Hero Bladedge attack his monster" Jaden commanded.

The attack has been declared, there is no stopping it. It hits Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon and sends it to the graveyard. Malice lost 100 life points due to E-Hero Bladedge's effect. Malice's soft little laugh turned into a loud one.

"What's so funny?" Jaden asked.

"You've done exactly what I wanted you to do. By destroying my Malefic monster you've allowed me to activate a certain monster in my graveyard's effect. Thank you for helping me to destroy you. You've never seen this effect because Paradox lost before he could use it…I pay half my life points…to bring back the core monster of Malefics…" Malice said slowly.

"No way!" Jaden cried.

"He's bringing it back" Syrus wailed.

"Rise up once again my Malefic Truth Dragon!" Malice screeched as he lifted his arms up in the air as his dragon rose up behind him in all its glory, along with it, its massive 5000 attack and defense power.

Malice's life points halved itself, but it was a small price to pay to bring out the monster that'll beat Jaden. Jaden was confused.

"Hold up how can you bring him back from the graveyard?" Jaden asked as his heart rate went through the roof.

"It's because of its effect when you destroy a Malefic monster I can special summon this card from my hand OR the graveyard as long as I pay half my life points" Malice explained.

Jaden grunted as he looked at the monster that'll send him to his doom.

"Malefic Apocalypse Dragon may represent the destruction of the end of the world but Malefic Truth Dragon represents the heart of humans and it'll be their evil that destroys them" Malice exclaimed.

Syrus gritted his teeth, Banner is on his knees. They have given up hope. Jaden only has 1 card in his hand and nothing that even comes close to the power of the Malefic Truth Dragon left in his minuscule deck. Jaden sighed and breathed in slowly as he looked down.

"I end my turn" Jaden stated.

_28__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 437.5lp Jaden: 1600lp_

_Cards in Hand: 4 Cards in Hand: 1_

_Banished: 12 Banished: 2_

"This is it, the final showdown. It's my last monster and judging by what you have left; E-Hero Bladedge is your last one too. Once I attack your life points will drop to 0. Go Malefic Truth Dragon, finish this" Malice commanded as his giant dragon blasted at Elemental Hero Bladedge.

"Jaden!" Banner and Syrus cried.

Jaden's face changed from worried to determined.

"I activate my spell card, Nobel Sacrifice. By paying 1000 life points I can negate your attack and save my monster" Jaden blurted as his spell card reduced Jaden's life points by 1000 and created a barrier around Elemental Hero Bladedge, negating Malefic Truth Dragon's attack. Malice sniggered.

"Whatever, I'll just end my turn and let you fall into a despair state" Malice said.

"Thank you" Jaden replied as he put his hand on his deck.

"There may be hope for me yet. I have the necessary cards to win. I just have to draw the right one. This next draw must count I must believe just like my idol Yugi Moto says…heart of the cards please help me out" Jaden thought as he closed his eyes as he lifted the card up.

Jaden looked at it and jumped for joy.

"This is the one. What are the chances, here I go. I activate the spell card, Card of Demise. It's a special from Seto Kaiba I can draw 5 cards but after 5 turns I have to discard my entire hand" Jaden said as he drew 5 new cards giving him a total of 6.

"Pointless" Malice commented.

"We'll see about that. I'm gonna throw down 3 face downs then I'll activate the spell O-Over soul which lets me bring back 1 normal Elemental Hero from my graveyard and summon it in any position I want. Return Elemental Hero Clayman" Jaden explained as his Earth E-Hero appeared in defense mode.

Malice didn't comment this time, he just watched, curious to see what Jaden's last move will be.

"Next I'm going to activate a very powerful spell card just for Elemental Heroes. If I have one normal E-Hero on the field I can play this, my E-Hero League card. This allows me to special summon as many normal Elemental Hero monsters I want from my hand or graveyard. I'll special summon Elemental Hero Avian, Burstinatrix and Neos back to the field" Jaden said as his whole field became full of E-Heroes who are all in defense mode except Bladedge.

"J's gotta whole army of E-Heroes, awesome" Syrus complimented Jaden's move.

"Still that won't do much" Banner said still nervous.

"I end my turn" Jaden stated with his 5 monsters all there, ready for action.

_29__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 437.5lp Jaden: 600lp_

_Cards in Hand: 5 Cards in Hand: 1_

_Banished: 12 Banished: 2_

Malice drew a card, shockingly; it was his third last one. Malice sweat dropped.

"I can't attack Jaden because he'll just spring his face down cards, it's best to wait it out. I still have a couple more turns…What am I talking about, I can crush him I have the strongest monster on the field. What else do I need?" Malice questioned himself as if he has changed his personality and strategy. The Malefic power is taking over him.

"I can finally gain the power I deserve and all I have to do is attack heheheheHAHAHAHA!" Malice laughed.

"I set 1 card face down, Malefic Truth Dragon attack his Elemental Hero Bladedge!" Malice yelled.

Malefic Truth Dragon's attack was blasted and it hit Elemental Hero Bladedge, destroying it.

"Remember when ones goes, they all go. Thanks to my dragon's effect when 1 of your monsters are destroyed by battle the rest are automatically destroyed with it" Malice shouted in pure rage and total insanity as Jaden's monsters are annihilated.

"I win" Malice declared watching the battlefield light up from his dragon's attack.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that" Jaden replied.

Malice kept watching, waiting for the smoke to clear. When it did, it showed Jaden still standing there with the same number of life points.

"Why didn't your life points drop to 0?" Malice asked loudly, it sounded more demanding than usual.

Jaden didn't answer; he let Malice look at the trap card he activated. It was Hero Spirit, when an Elemental Hero is destroyed this turn Jaden doesn't take any battle damage.

"I will make you pay dearly for denying your defeat" Malice growled.

Jaden quickly swiped his nose with his index finger as a showmanship of confidence.

"That's not the only trap I'm playing, I also activate my Elemental Mirage trap. I can activate it only when my monsters are destroyed by a card effect from you. So all the monsters that were destroyed by your Malefic Truth Dragon's effect comes back in the same position they were in before they were destroyed" Jaden explained as every monster besides E-Hero Bladedge returned to the field.

"But…I just got rid of all of them. This move looks familiar" Malice said.

"That's because the future guy did the same thing with his card to defeat Paradox and it's this card that's going to defeat you" Jaden replied.

"We'll see about that. I activate my face down trap card, the Unsuccessful Businessman. If my attack did not damage your life points, I'm allowed to draw 1 card" Malice explained as he drew his second last card. Now he only has 1 left in his deck. He looked at it, he knew it was that card and he knew this card is the ticket to victory. Malice set 1 card face down.

"I end my turn" Malice said.

"Ok, next turn Jaden, it is a guarantee that you will fall" Malice thought as he watched Jaden draw.

Jaden just drew his second last card; he too has only 1 card left in his deck. Both duelists were almost finished. He looked at Malice who just had Malefic Truth Dragon on the field and 1 face down on the field.

"I have to admit, you and I had one epic duel here today. Unfortunately all good things come to an end" Jaden told him.

"What was that?" Malice snapped.

"I change my Elemental Hero Neos from defense mode to attack mode, then I activate the spell card Different Dimension Reincarnation. This card lets me bring back 1 banished monster and equip it with this card. As long as this card is face up on the field my monster can be face up on the field too. So I'm bringing back Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Jaden called.

His field is full of normal E-Hero monsters with Neos being in the middle surrounded by the rest.

"Why didn't he bring back his Different Dimension Neos?" Malice wondered.

Banner leaned forward;

"What are you planning Jaden?" Banner wondered.

Jaden stood there, his stance strong. His face confident, it is the face of a winner. His fists are clenched, ready for battle. He only has 1 card left in his hand.

"I play my final card, the spell card known as…United we Stand!" Jaden yelled in excitement.

Malice frowned but he stood his ground.

"I'll equip it to Neos" Jaden said as he activated it by placing it in his duel disk.

"Nice try Jaden, but your luck has run out. I play the counter trap card, Dark Bribe!" Malice raved.

Jaden's face also turned to a frown.

"This is one of my favourites and I have a couple of copies. I used it at the beginning of this duel, if you don't remember I'll remind you what it does. It negates a spell or trap you play and destroys it but you get to draw 1 card. So even if I don't attack you, you'll lose by default since you won't have any cards left to draw in your next turn" Malice explained.

"It's over" Syrus said.

"Hehe, not quite. I figured you may have something to stop my spell card so I was prepared" Jaden said.

Malice stopped being joyful and looked at Jaden with fear in his eyes.

"Wha…what do you mean?" Malice asked.

I still have 1 face down card left and I'm going to activate it. It's my trap card, Counter Counter. This trap negates a counter trap and destroys it and I believe your Dark Bribe falls into that category" Jaden informed him.

Malice started shaking as his trap is negated. He couldn't do anything, anymore. United we Stand activated and equipped to Neos.

"Thanks to this card my monster's attack increases by 800 for every monster on my side of the field" Jaden said.

Elemental Hero Neos' attack sky rocketed to an attack greater than Malefic Truth Dragon. Neos is surrounded by a light blue aura, showing his power rise.

"6500 attack points! Oh no!" Malice cried.

"That's right, with the combined strength of my E-Heroes, Neos will destroy your dragon and wipe out the rest of your life points" Jaden stated.

Malice froze.

"Elemental Hero Neos attack Malice's Malefic Truth Dragon" Jaden declared.

Elemental Hero Neos jumped into the air as high as it could. It soared above Malice's monster, and then it flew down with its arms outstretched like a superhero. His attack spiraled out of his fists like a fire tornado, heading straight towards Malice's dragon.

"No, NO!" Malice cried as his monster is struck by Neos attack and explodes.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Malice screamed as the explosion destroyed his Malefic Truth Dragon. Malefic Universe vanished as soon as Malice was attacked.

Alexis, Jesse and Chazz all saw the black veil disappear. They could see Syrus but they couldn't see Jaden or Malice. Their bodies are covered in a thick layer of smoke.

"Syrus" they all called.

Syrus didn't move, he kept looking at the battlefield. The others stopped and stood next to Syrus as the little blue-haired boy said softly;

"He did it".

Jaden's body is shown, he stood there. His body straight, his duel disk has been deactivated. He did his trademark hand gesture.

"That's game" Jaden said to Malice even though he couldn't see him.

The others ran towards Jaden calling his name. Professor Banner nodded, congratulating Jaden as he turned back into the little yellow light ball and floated away.

The others surrounded the winner.

"That was a flawless duel" Syrus commented.

"We're glad you're ok" Jesse said.

"Yeah, I came here thinking I needed to beat him but it looks like you did it for me" Chazz said.

"Shall we say, typical Chazz" Alexis giggled.

Jaden chuckled, then he fell to the ground. The others yelled his name in worry.

"He's just exhausted, he went through a lot" Syrus said.

Jaden opened his left eye halfway;

"I'm ok, really" Jaden replied.

"We need to get you to bed, you need rest" Jesse said as he and Syrus lifted up Jaden with their shoulders.

"Look" Alexis told them.

The smoke has mostly cleared up. Malice is still there, he is on one knee. His life points have dropped to 0. He also has one eye opened, he too looked tired but also angry. He looked at Jaden and the others.

_End of Duel Stats_

_Malice: 0lp Jaden: 600lp_

_Cards in Hand: 5 Cards in Hand: 0 _

_Banished: 12 Banished: 1_

"You think this is over. Just because you beat me in a card game" Malice said as he stood up.

"I've told you numerous times, this is more than that. You may have won the battle Jaden but you won't win the war" Malice continued.

Malice's purple aura returned. He yelled as a burst of energy left his body and took the form of Malefic Truth Dragon. The others trembled.

"How is that thing back? The duel is over?" Syrus wondered.

"You're right Syrus, the duel is over. Luckily for me my Malefic Truth Dragon…is now real!" Malice replied raising his voice at the end of his sentence.

Malefic Truth Dragon roared as it descended to the ground. Malice jumped on its head; it then rose to the air once again.

"I must continue on with my goal and I think I know exactly where to go to first. You all know it; it's a place where two certain Champions live. A place where duel monsters are mostly recognized a place where the king was crowned. Don't you see, I have won whether I lost the duel or not. See you around" Malice exclaimed as his Malefic Truth Dragon flew away from the island.

Jaden and the others were helpless as Malice continues his onslaught elsewhere. As he gained some distance Malice thought of what just happened.

"I have to admit my loss was unexpected but it doesn't matter. It's been done, the past is the past. I must look forward, I must continue my plan. It is time for Phase 2, I will challenge the world. I will exterminate most of the population so a new era can begin and I know the perfect place to start so no one else can challenge me" Malice thought.

"Malefic Truth Dragon, let's head off to…Domino City" Malice told it.

**Ok I was wrong, this one was even longer. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoyed the duel and it was epic enough but don't go away just yet. Malice is still on the loose and is going to strike Domino City first, Yugi's hometown. Don't miss the action in the next exciting chapter. I will update soon.**


	7. Malice Attacks!

**Things are getting very serious now. Even though Jaden beat his foe, Malice is still going to continue his onslaught. His first target is Domino City, where Yugi Moto lives. Who will stop this enraged teen from making a big mistake? Find out now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh in any way, shape or form**

As Malice and his Malefic Truth Dragon flew further away, Jaden and the others gazed at them until they could no longer be seen. It is close to sunrise, the battle has been going on for quite some time. Everyone was exhausted after the fierce duel, especially Jaden who was still using Yubel's energy to stay conscious. Yubel appeared beside Jaden congratulating him on the win.

"Thanks Yubel, but unfortunately the loss hasn't slowed him down at all. He's more determined than ever to change this world. Until I make sure that doesn't happen this battle is still on" Jaden told her.

"Don't sell yourself too short Jaden, you've done well. With the support you have I'm sure we can stop him" Yubel replied.

Jaden nodded then turned around to the rest of his friends with a happy face.

"Well shall we head off too?" Jaden asked.

Everyone else looked at him; they were not sure what he meant. They all replied with a confused 'aaaa' sound.

"What do you mean J?" Syrus asked.

"Malice is still around and causing trouble. It's up to us to stop him right? So let's go find some transportation to get to Domino City" Jaden answered.

"Domino City!" Alexis blurted out in shock.

"Why there?" Jesse asked.

"Because of what he said, two ex champions, duel monsters is mostly recognized there and the king was crowned. He was talking about the Battle City tournament where the King of Games himself Yugi Moto was crowned when he beat Seto Kaiba and Marik in the finals" Jaden replied.

"I see now" Syrus said.

"So what if he goes there, if you can beat him I'm sure Yugi can too" Chazz said.

"I don't think he is going there to duel, I think he is going there to hurt others and wipe out the city" Jaden replied as he started walking on his own.

Everyone gasped. They didn't really want to go because it was very dangerous mission but in their hearts they knew they had to go. So many people are depending on them. Malice's twisted vision for this world cannot come to fruition. They all thought hard about it, this was going to be an all out war. One in which they might not make out of alive. They all had frowns on their faces, Jaden was ready to go. He put his hand in the middle of the group. They all knew the plan, go to Domino City and take Malice down in any way they can. Once they go, there is no turning back. Are they ready? Can they win? These questions ran through their heads. At last Alexis took a step forward and put her hand on top of Jaden's and smiled. Jesse followed, along with Syrus. Chazz took a little longer but slowly limped his way there and put his hand on top. They all looked at each other, they were committed to help.

"Let's do it" Jaden said as he started running towards the academy.

"Wait J. Are you ok to run?" Syrus asked. Jaden stopped in his tracks.

"Don't worry about me Sy there are others out there who need our help. Besides thanks to Yubel I still have the strength to continue and that's exactly what I'm going to do" Jaden replied as he turned around and started running again. Everyone else followed.

The sky became a pinkish colour, meaning the sun was starting to rise. It's morning, the start of a new day. The group ran through the forest, quickly swiping any bushes in their way. They had to hurry because the longer they were on this island; the more of a head start Malice gets into completing his demolition. The gang headed to the landing bay on the other side of the island. Usually students are transported by a large helicopter, however there have been times when a ship was needed if there were too many students or it didn't run properly. They reached the landing dock and luckily there were two pilots outside of the helicopter having a conversation. The group called to them as they came closer.

"What's the matter, kids?" one of them asked.

"Please, you have to take us to Domino City" Jesse begged.

"I'm sorry, I can't just take this small group too…where did you want to go?" the other pilot asked.

"To Domino City" Alexis answered.

"Domino City, what for?" the 1st pilot asked curious of why they would want to go so far.

"It's hard to explain but you see, there is this evil guy and he is going to destroy the city of we don't go over there and fight him" Jaden replied.

The two pilots were dumbstruck. They both said no. Chazz got annoyed.

"If you want to keep your jobs I suggest you take us there" Chazz threatened.

The pilots replied in anger. They caught the threat and furiously sent them away. The group walked back to the school disappointed.

"Great, how are we going to get there?" Syrus wondered.

"There is one more person that can help us, follow me" Jesse said as he started running for the school.

The others followed. They had to hurry, time was running out. Each time the clock ticks Malice is getting closer to his target and all the poor civilians are going to get attacked. They run into the building, climb numerous stairs until they reach the top. Multiple other students have already gotten up for early study, when they saw Jaden and the others run they got curious and followed. Jesse led them to Crowler's office.

"Do we always have to depend on this guy?" Chazz asked.

A beginning student went wide eyed.

"Crowler is a guy?" he said in shock.

Jaden laughed at the remark. Jesse knocked loudly on the door. Chancellor Crowler opened the door stunned to see so many students. The group greeted him with a cheerful and polite 'good morning'. Chancellor Crowler was a little touched until he realized something.

"I appreciate you all saying good morning to me but seriously…what do you want from me?" Crowler asked. He knew groups of students wouldn't come to him so politely.

"We need a favour to ask of you Crowler and this will be the last one I promise" Jaden said.

"Come on in" he replied.

Jaden and friends walked inside Crowler's office and Alexis closed the door behind them. Crowler sat down on the chair while the others stood up. He looked at them.

"What is it you want?" Crowler asked.

"You see, sir. We found out that the cloaked person was the person responsible for hurting certain students. It was Drake" Jesse told him.

"Drake! I can't believe it. I thought he was an intelligent, quite boy" Crowler cried as he jerked forward in his seat.

"Well you see he isn't quite himself. He has gained the ability to create real duel monsters. He is on his way to Domino City right now. Jaden dueled him and won. Unfortunately that didn't stop him, in fact it made him even more desperate since he feels challenged and will do whatever is necessary to crush any possible opponents that could spoils his plans" Syrus explained.

"Kind of hard to believe" Crowler replied turning his head to the side.

"We are serious. We need the helicopter to go to Domino City to stop him. That's his first target" Chazz raised his voice as he spoke.

Suddenly there is a long and loud knock on the door. Then it quickly opened. It was a Ra Yellow student; he told the group that a large ship was sunk just a few minutes ago by a dragon. Numerous other students ran by him as he spoke to go to the television in the card shop. Jaden and the others, along with Crowler ran to the television set in the card shop. The news was on; a reporter was speaking about the situation;

"We have confirmed reports that a cargo ship in the pacific was sunk today by a large flame that caused the fuel line to explode. At first believed to be an accident, there have been rumors of a terrorist attack. The crew is being rescued as we speak and each of them has their own story to tell as we take you live to one of the rescue choppers with crew members. Take it away Emily" the reporter informed.

"Thank you John. Emily Havsto reporting live in a rescue chopper and some of the crew members are saying that they were attacked by a monster from the sky. Flames were shot down and many explosions follow. We shall be back with more information soon. Back to you John" Emily said.

"WAIT! It was a dragon. A dragon!" one of the crew members cried as it cut out.

The students watched the TV in awe. Jaden and friends looked at each other, Malice has already begun and he isn't even at Domino City yet.

"Chancellor, we need that helicopter" Jaden insisted.

"Very well Jaden, you can go along with your friends. I must stay here and look after the school" Crowler said.

"You'll need to come with us, otherwise the two guys won't believe us" Jesse told him.

"Oh alright" Crowler replied in annoyance.

He didn't have the time to be running around; he had to make sure this school was under control. He ran along with Jaden's group. They were getting close to the landing dock. However they don't see the helicopter in the distance. They couldn't believe their eyes when they got there. The helicopter was gone.

"The two pilots must have been called out for something, that's the only explanation" Alexis said.

"Great, how are we going to get there now" Syrus wondered.

"Don't worry there is still one more way but it'll take a little longer to get there. We have boats on the island in case of an emergency and they are super fast. The power on the jets push the boat really quickly on the water so you'll be there maybe an hour or so later than the helicopter" Crowler told them.

"Please take us to the boat chancellor" Jesse begged him.

"You can go there yourselves, here give them this note and if he has a problem, tell him to ring my office. You all know where the dock is" Crowler said as he walked back into the school.

The gang didn't comment on anything, they ran towards the docks which isn't too far from where they were. They needed that boat, Malice is probably already at Domino City causing total destruction and Jaden is still at Duel Academy Island, there is a major gap between them. Jaden and the others might even be too late to save Domino City from its grim fate. Their legs were getting sore from all this running around. Chazz fell to the ground, he was exhausted. The others stopped.

"Chazz what's up?" Jaden asked.

"I'm fine" Chazz said as he slowly tried to get up but fell to the ground again.

The others helped him out, Chazz still hasn't fully recovered.

"Perhaps it's best if you don't come with us" Alexis said.

"Why not? I'm going to miss out on all the fun" Chazz replied quite upset.

"Look at you, you can't run anymore. We know you've been trying really hard to keep up but you can't right now. Go back to the school and rest" Jesse said.

Chazz didn't want to go. He is the stubborn type who doesn't give up what he wants so easily. He looked into Jaden's eyes, glaring at him. He knew himself that he wasn't fit to help out against a foe at the moment. He sighed and put his head down.

"Fine I'll go back. Just remember I'll be watching it from the TV. I'm sure this battle will be all over the news" Chazz told them as he got up and walked back to the school.

The rest continued on their way to the docks. Once they got there, many boats were seen. Some were for fishing, the biggest one was more of a ship that transferred students here and of course the super speedy ones Crowler was talking about. They had a sleek look with a very sharp point on the edge, two jet propellers on its sides, a front window, seats that could fit about eight people and they are all coloured white with the Duel Academy logo on the center of the sides. It was a medium sized vessel. They were perfect for fast and agile water travel; it could skim through rough waters. The group saw a group of sailors whom they rushed towards.

"Excuse me which one of you drives the speedy boats?" Jesse asked.

"That would be me" a young sailor answered.

He was young, about his early twenties, really short orange hair, green eyes and a bulky chest. He definitely stood out amongst the others who are more elderly gentlemen.

"Could you please take us to Domino City?" Jaden asked.

"That's quite far from here, did you get high authority permission?" the sailor asked.

"Yes from Crowler" Syrus answered handing him the note.

The young sailor eyed the note with caution just in case it was fake. He walked away from Jaden and the others and went inside the control room where he picked up the phone and started talking; he was most likely talking to Crowler. Everyone watched him through the window. After a brief conversation inside he came back out.

"Ok you are good to go. The Chancellor told me to get you there as quickly as possible and with these bad boys I will. All aboard" the young sailor told them.

The gang cheered as they jumped onto one of the speedy boats. The boat didn't move as they jumped in. It was a solid designed boat. They all took their seats looking at the water as they did. The sun has already begun rising over half an hour ago. The daylight is shining bright causing them to cover their eyes as it reflected on the water. The young sailor started it up, the jets spun. It proved that the engine given was just for raw power.

"This is awesome, we'll get there in no time" Syrus commented.

"Yeah it's a good thing this school brought in some new gear for our entertainment" Alexis said.

As the engine warmed up the young sailor spoke.

"My name is Jackson and I'll be your driver today, I wish I could take you all on a relaxing cruise but unfortunately we are in a rush so it'll be full speed ahead. So sit back and enjoy the ride" Jackson introduced himself as he turned around and grabbed hold of the steering wheel.

The engine has warmed up, he checked everything before they headed off. The fuel gauge was fuel, oil pressure is normal, everything has the go green. He revved up the engine and pulled the lever down and the boat started to take off. In a matter of seconds they zoomed into the ocean. The start was such a shock to all of them that they all, besides Jackson, screamed very loudly. They grabbed onto the edge as hard as they could and closed their eyes. It was like a roller coaster ride. Not too long after that the boat calmed down. Syrus and Jaden were on the floor feeling dizzy. Alexis and Jesse were hung on the edge taking deep breaths. Everyone managed to get used to the speed and was able to sit normally again. Jackson laughed.

"I love bringing on first timers" he said.

It's only been a few minutes and already Duel Academy Island looked so far away. It looked like a speck in the middle of the ocean.

"So far already, at this rate we may be able to get there in time" Jesse said.

Jaden turned his head to look at the front of the boat and the wideness of the big blue.

"Malice we're coming for you" he thought.

A rising sun shone upon an unsuspecting city. The citizens are unaware of the devastation that will be upon them very soon. At KaibaCorp, Seto Kaiba was already at his desk working. He is researching new tactical ways to better the game of Duel Monsters and to expand Duel Academy onto other locations. He is 32 years old and a father of one child. His son's name is Ryan and he is seven years old. Seto has a wife named Chloe and they all live in a huge apartment. Mokuba is 26 years old and has two kids, both of which are daughters. They are twins in fact they're names are Gabby and Abby. They are only 5 years old. Mokuba's wife divorced him after an incident a few years ago. He lives on his own with his two kids at a house away from the city. However he visits Seto very often, the two have been very close all their lives. Chloe took Ryan to school that morning; she had long, light blue hair and hazel eyes. She wore a floral dress with colourful sunflowers on it. Everyone that saw her greeted her kindly. She was a very kind woman and very protective over her family. She worried a lot. Seto sometimes is a tough shell to crack but she loves him very much. Ryan is at school and is much like his father but even more so like his mother. He is very protective over his family and arrogant to others. He is usually kind but always thinks of himself and his family first. He has medium length brown hair that goes a little past his neck and has a fringe along with hazel eyes. Ryan has begun school and Chloe is taking care of things at home. Seto, along with Vice President Mokuba are in the office. His little twin daughters usually hang around at a small playground that Mokuba made for them so they're not bored. It is situated in a fairly large room right across Mokuba's office so he can always see them through his window. Seto was dressed in a white suit with a dark blue tie whereas Mokuba was wearing a black suit with a red tie; he walked into his big bro's office.

"How's the research coming along?" Mokuba asked with his deeper voice.

"Finally after a couple of weeks I'm making some real progress. By the end of the day I should be able to organize three new locations for the Duel Academy and even come up with the Kaiba land amusement park battles" Seto answered.

"Oh yeah I almost forgot that tournament you planned up. It's been a while, I hope it attracts many people" Mokuba replied as he leaned on his bro's desk with his hands.

"I thought you were looking at tactics for new rules and summons" Mokuba said.

"I worked on it yesterday but it was tough since we had some stock market problems that I had to take care of. The meetings I had took all day so I need to catch up on what's important right now" Seto replied feeling a little edgy being disturbed.

"Well then I'll leave you two it. I'll just update our database and reply to our emails. Talk later" Mokuba said as he left the room closing the door behind him.

Kaiba continued his work as the sun lit up the city. It was officially daytime, everything could be seen. On the outer parts of the city a local game shop has just opened up and ready for the day. That shop is owned by an older Yugi Moto who is 30 years old and is married to Tea. The two live together in upper rooms where it looks like a home. Yugi has been saving up to buy a big home for them but for now they live there and neither minded it. Yugi's grandfather past away a few years ago due to old age and Yugi took over, it was very hard on him since his grandpa was his only family. Yugi still looked the same but taller and had a more mature face similar to the nameless pharaoh who was connected to him years ago. For some reason the Millennium Items were still around and Yugi still had his Millennium Puzzle around his neck. It was a big part of his life. It was where he gained confidence and saved the world many times. It never activated ever since the pharaoh's spirit went into the afterlife. The rest of the items were safely locked away in a museum where the Ishtar family watched out for them. Yugi and Tea have a child who is 2 years old. His name is Atem, named after the pharaoh. Yugi is downstairs getting everything ready for customers. Tea is upstairs looking after little Atem. Suddenly the door swung open and caught Yugi by surprise, he yelped. It was his two friends Joey and Tristan. These two were the same age as Yugi and are also a lot older. Joey wore a red t-shirt with cool dude written in yellow and black tracksuit pants. Tristan is wearing his job's uniform as he is going to start in an hour. He wore supermarket clothing, blue button up shirt tucked in formal grey pants and a black belt.

"Hey Yugi, you alright?" Joey asked.

"Ah yeah guys, you just surprised me is all" Yugi replied sweat dropping.

"Sorry man. We thought it'd be nice to go for a little stroll before we all start working" Joey said.

"What for?" Yugi asked.

"Well we don't see each other as often anymore and it'll be good to catch up" Tristan answered.

"Well I…" Yugi wasn't sure what to say.

Tea came downstairs holding Atem in her arms.

"Heya guys, it's been a while" Tea greeted her two friends.

"It has been, aww look at little Atem" Joey said in a baby like voice making funny faces in front of the baby making him laugh.

"What's up?" Tea asked.

"Well we were kind of wondering if you and Yugi would come with us for a walk so we can catch up. We don't see each other anymore you know. I miss it" Joey replied.

"I can't I have to look after Atem but Yugi can go" Tea said.

"I can?" Yugi mumbled softly, a little surprised.

"But I have to work" Yugi said.

"Don't worry about it. Opening the store half an hour later won't lose us business besides our friendship means a lot more" Tea said.

"Alright then see you soon" Yugi told his wife as he kissed her and smiled at Atem.

He put the closed sign on the door and left with his two friends Joey and Tristan. The three walked together just like old times. Yugi strutted in an unusual way as if he was rushing.

"So Joey, how has your work been?" Yugi asked.

"I hardly call it work" Tristan remarked and gave Joey a sharp look.

"It's been great, being a sport teacher is a fun job but I don't feel like talking about work because that's all we've been talking about. Where's the enjoyment in life?" Joey asked.

"Ok then what did you want to talk about?" Yugi replied.

"Have you been dueling lately, you're still the King of Games right?" Joey asked.

"Well not as much as I used to but I make sure that my skills aren't rusty. A lot of kids come to the store challenging me to a duel" Yugi answered.

Joey chuckled, he knew himself the youngsters had no chance. Of course he wasn't bad himself. Unfortunately Duel Monsters has lost a lot of its popularity over the years. Kids have been playing a lot of video games rather than plain old card games. There is still a small group of fans all continuing its legacy and in Domino city that fan club had the most members. It has been rumored that Seto Kaiba is trying to relight the torch on a dying game. The three walked through the streets of Domino City.

"You know what, I really feel like a doughnut or something, let's go to the bakery downtown" Tristan said.

"Oh boy, Tristan's sweet tooth strikes again" Joey said as him and Yugi followed Tristan.

On top of a building in the middle of town Malice has stepped towards the edge and is looking down at the peaceful city with his arms crossed and wearing a new set of clothes. He has a plain white t-shirt, dark blue jeans, blue/black shoes and has a black cape. He smirked as he eyed the people.

"Look at those fools, all going on with their daily lives. It's quite sad really" Malice said.

He had a mask in his hand. It was the black half of Paradox's mask. He looked at what he was wearing.

"Some people may think this is very bland but who cares. It's my actions that'll really capture their attention. Besides once I am in control I'll wear something a little more fashionable but for now this will do" Malice said to himself.

He lifted the mask up to his face and looked at it.

"Until I complete my task I don't deserve to wear the whole mask. I must prove myself that I'm worthy of controlling the power of Malefics. I failed to do that in my duel with Jaden however what I'm about to do to this world will make up for it" Malice thought as he put the mask on. Half of his face is covered while the other half revealed his demented face. The clock struck 9am.

"The moment is here" Malice said.

Seto Kaiba took a little break and watched the city below from his window. Something suddenly caught his eye. He saw 3 monsters flying above the city going right past his window. He was stunned.

"What the? It's Cyber End Dragon and the rare Rainbow Dragon" Kaiba remarked in disbelief.

"I don't even know what that other one is" Kaiba continued as he watched Stardust Dragon and the others wide eyed as they descended lower to just be above the other buildings in the city.

People below stopped in their tracks as large shadows flew above them. They looked up and saw 3 dragons. At first everyone gazed in awe then they all chattered amongst themselves. Each person gave a comment of what they are seeing.

"Dragons!" one girl said as if her breath was taken away.

"This must be Kaiba's doing, those monsters look so real it's incredible" a teenage boy commented.

Rainbow Dragon descended further into the streets of Domino City until it almost hit the ground. The people were convinced that Kaiba Corporation had designed new holograms and that they surprised the population by sending them downtown to show off. Suddenly Rainbow Dragon opened its mouth, preparing to blast the street and everyone in it. Meanwhile at the local café Tristan is looking at all the delicious bakery goods that are for sale behind the display glass. He put his face right in front and studied each of them. He often talked to himself, wondering which one he felt like. Yugi and Joey waited for him to finish.

"So Joey how are you and Mai going?" Yugi asked out of curiosity.

"We've been ok I guess. We've been having some problems. I was so close to proposing to her, I mean we've been through so much. I knew that Mai was the one. Unfortunately we had an argument that didn't end too well. Ever since she became the executive at her father's work she gave up Duel Monsters and saw me as a child living in a man's body. We hardly saw each other and when we did we would get angry over little things. I'm not sure what happened" Joey answered.

"Maybe she misses being herself, she loved the game and this job has thrown her off what she wants out of life" Yugi replied.

"You might be right Yugi" Joey exclaimed feeling better.

Yugi smiled. A large explosion was heard. Yugi's smile went upside down immediately. Everyone in the café turned around.

"What was that?" Joey wondered.

The three friends ran out of the café. In the distance, heavy smoke rose above where the explosion took place. Yugi, Joey and Tristan all pictured the worst, their faces in shock. They didn't know what was going on. A loud alarm could be heard usually used to signal a military or nuclear attack. Many people ran outside from other places in the street to check out what happened. Without warning fireballs were blasted onto the street where Yugi and the others were. They went further up, Yugi, Joey and Tristan took shelter in the café as the windows shattered from the force of the fireballs being shot down the street. They could hear the cries of people in fear as cars and the road are obliterated. Some were being blown away from the winds that generated from the explosions. Yugi covered his head as he lied on the floor with his eyes closed. Joey and Tristan did the same. When it stopped they cautiously got just in case there was another round to come. After about 10 seconds of waiting, nothing else happened, so they went back outside. Above them, flying away from their street was Cyber End Dragon.

"Monsters! Real Monsters!" Joey cried.

"How is that even possible?" Tristan exclaimed.

"I don't know but something tells me this isn't one of Kaiba's holograms" Yugi said staring at the dragon who is continuing its assault by attacking other structures.

Something abruptly went into Yugi's mind.

"Guys I have to get Tea and Atem, they are in danger" Yugi added.

"We'll go with you" Joey and Tristan both replied in unison.

Yugi nodded, his friends truly cared. Together they all ran back to the game shop as quick as they could. Around them the destruction continues as Cyber End Dragon and Rainbow Dragon attack one of the districts of the city. People fled in terror as the monsters rampaged through their home. Police came to the rescue; however their weapons were no match for the dragons. Five cop cars stopped in front of Yugi and his friends. One of them brought out a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen a mass evacuation has begun, please leave the Nako District and head towards the docks on the outer skirts of the city" he yelled.

"We can't leave until we get Tea and Atem" Yugi said.

"No problem, we'll be out of here in no time" Tristan replied.

The police force lifted their hand guns and started shooting at Rainbow Dragon who has just arrived onto the scene. Yugi was at a loss for words. It was the rare Rainbow Dragon, a good card that works with Crystal Beast cards. They start shooting at it however it's no good. It hardly penetrates the tough scales of the monster. Surprisingly Rainbow Dragon did not attack; he flew away and continued to wipe out the Nako District which is near the center of the city. The policeman put their weapons down. Yugi, Joey and Tristan were away from the gunfire and now that they've stopped they continue running towards the game shop. One of the policemen saw this;

"Hey you can't…Ahhh!" he shrieked.

Out of the blue a white energy stream with blue shining particles was shot at the policemen, they were incinerated and their cars all exploded. Yugi, Joey and Tristan all covered their eyes with their arms as the aftershock knocked them to the ground. They looked at where the policemen were, nothing was left but car parts and a large flame. They're mouths were wide open.

"We have to find another way" Joey stammered.

They all got up and started to run the other way to find a street that heads to the game shop but Stardust Dragon flew down and blocked their path.

"Would someone please tell me what that is" Tristan stuttered.

"I've never seen this white dragon before" Joey stated.

Yugi stared hard at the dragon, it looked really familiar. Finally it hit him.

"I know this monster it's called Star…something Dragon" Yugi told them.

"Stardust Dragon" a voice corrected Yugi.

The three of them turned around, standing in front of the flames behind them was Malice. He stared at them menacingly. He chuckled, the flames shined in their eyes making them glossy. Malice knew that they were scared and he loved it. That was the emotion he was aiming for.

"Paradox…?" Yugi trailed off.

"Close Yugi but not close enough. You could say I'm Paradox's top apprentice. My name is Malice" Malice introduced himself.

"Malice?...Kind of sounds like Marik..." Joey said.

"I'm well aware of that, the reason I named myself that is because malice is exactly what I'm going to do to this world" Malice replied.

"Still sounds like a bit of a rip off" Joey countered.

Malice ignored Joey with a grunt.

"Yugi, I've waited a long time for this. Finally I'm face to face with the King of Games. With my army of monsters no one in this world can stop me. The power I've gained from our future is far above anything this world can create. I thought it would be nice for you to meet me before I destroy you and this world" Malice said.

"Why do you want to destroy the world? So many have their own reasons so what's yours?" Yugi asked.

"It's simple, I'm fixing it" Malice answered.

"Why fix something that isn't broken?" Tristan asked.

"Isn't broken? This world's warranty was expired long ago. I need to take action or else there will be no future for mankind anymore. I don't have time to lecture my reasons; all I want to say is, so long. This is where we say goodbye" Malice told them as he nodded at Stardust Dragon.

He walked away from the group as Stardust Dragon shot its Shooting Sonic at Yugi, Joey and Tristan. They all jumped out of the way as the blast creates another explosion. One in which sends the three guys flying far from where they stood. Dust and light rubble covered their backs as they slowly got up. They were sent into an alleyway. Stardust Dragon believes they were taken care of and flies off. Minor scratches were on their faces as they got up.

"Guess Marik…I mean Malice thought we were goners from that attack" Tristan said.

"He better think again. He's just made me very angry. If he is using Duel Monsters I'll just challenge him to a duel" Joey said in fury.

"We don't have time, let's head off to the game shop and get Tea and Atem before this whole city is driven to the ground" Yugi told them.

"Right" the other two replied.

As Yugi, Joey and Tristan headed for the game shop Seto Kaiba saw everything from his office. The attack from those dragons caught him completely off guard. His company was taking the blame for everything. The civilians are all evacuating the city, Nako District is almost gone and the three dragons have moved elsewhere, more to the west of the city. Up above on a skyscraper away from the action Malice stands on top. He is watching his monster's every move.

"It may be time for me to add more to the destruction. Go Malefic Truth Dragon" Malice shouted as his monstrous Malefic beast flew into downtown and started blowing out its intense fire upon the man made jungle. The fires turned local trees to ashes; some people got burned from it and cried in pain. Some people weren't so lucky. This was truly the worst blow to humanity ever conducted by Duel Monsters.

Seto Kaiba saw Malefic Truth Dragon and eyed it closely.

"Another one I haven't seen, what's going on?" he wondered just as Mokuba ran in.

"Seto! Our phones are off the hook, people are demanding what's going on. I told them that it's not our fault but no one believes us" Mokuba informed his brother.

"Mokuba tell the company to also evacuate. This is not my companies' fault. Someone else is behind this and I'm going to find out whom. Take Gabby and Abby and head for the docks" Kaiba told him.

"But I can't just leave you" Mokuba replied.

"Go now!" Kaiba insisted.

Mokuba didn't argue, he grabbed his twin daughters and exited the corporation building telling everyone else to leave too as he did. Seto Kaiba opened up his silver metallic briefcase and took out his duel disk.

"Alright, if these things are Duel Monsters, that means the one behind it all is a duelist and I'm going to find out who. Prepare to get crushed by Seto Kaiba" he thought to himself as he put on the duel disk and inserted his deck into it.

All of KaibaCorp's employees made a run for it. They either ran to find their families or headed straight for the docks. Seto Kaiba calmly walked out of his building, infuriated that someone was ruining his company's name. He mumbled to himself threats to whoever was behind this. Kaiba wasn't afraid at all, he walked directly towards the dragons with a hunch that the controller of those monsters was around there. Malefic Truth Dragon flew over the already destroyed Nako District, the streets were empty and there was no sign of life anywhere. The people have been moving towards the docks in a huge gathering. They all slowly walked, watching the horror unfold upon their home behind them. No one expected a normal day in life to become something like this. Malefic Truth Dragon blew out flames from its mouth. The west side of the city has taken a heavy toll, almost wiped out by the attack of four dragons. Seto Kaiba kept walking, ignoring all those who told him to go back. He wasn't afraid. Kaiba had a more serious face on him than usual. All of a sudden someone jumped in front of him, stopping him from going any further.

"Who are you?" Kaiba asked.

"I'm Malice, you and I are going to duel Kaiba" Malice answered as he activated his duel disk.

Kaiba stared at him and frowned. Without saying another word he too activated his duel disk.

Another battle was about to take place. Away from the two duelists Yugi and friends have made it to the game shop. After being attacked by Stardust Dragon they didn't have much trouble since they all moved to the other side of the city. Yugi ran inside calling Tea's name.

"Yugi, up here?" Tea replied who sounded very frightened.

The three guys went upstars and saw Tea holding Atem in bed. Atem was crying and it looked like she was on the verge of crying too. Yugi quickly hugged them both.

"Are you ok?" Yugi asked.

"We are now that you are all here. Apparently there was a mass evacuation but…I was just too scared to go out there especially with Atem in my hands" Tea answered.

She was breathing very quickly, she looked stressed out.

"Come on, let's take you and Atem to a safe place. The docks where everyone is heading will probably be the best to be" Joey said.

Tristan nodded in agreement. Tea smiled and nodded as well. Before they left Yugi grabbed his duel disk from a box under his bed. It was the same one he used in his earlier adventures, even though it was outdated Yugi still used it. He had a special bond with it and his deck which he inserted into the deck holder. He knew that there was a high chance he will duel Malice. All of his previous enemies did, so most likely it will happen again. They all left the game shop, Yugi locked it just in case it doesn't get destroyed. All four friends along with little Atem all headed towards the evacuation area. They tried to get there as quickly as possible by lightly jogging. Joey offered to hold Atem but Tea insisted she continued carrying him. They managed to get into the center of the city without running into any trouble. Around them is what remains after the unexpected and deadly array of attacks. Glass was shattered everywhere, cars were flipped over with flames on them. Buildings were either rubble or heavily damaged and not a soul in sight. Other than the distant noise of explosions the street was very quiet. Yugi lets of light sighs as he looked from side to side.

"This is horrible" Tristan commented.

Water hydrants were broken and water burst from them. The road and footpath was all wet. Their runners and shoes all made a pat sound as it hit the watery surface. A light breeze brought a chill to the once populated street. A police siren could be heard and is getting louder by the second. It wasn't long before they are all cut off by a cop car. A policeman quickly jumped out.

"What are you all doing? You have to get out of the city as quick as possible" the policeman told them.

"We know, that's what we are trying to do" Joey replied.

"You all better get into my car, I'll need to take you out of the city as soon as possible. The army and navy are on the way to commence an all out attack on the monsters and you won't want to be here when that happens" the policeman warned them.

"Thank you officer, let's go guys" Yugi said as they all started to walk to the car.

They opened the doors and were about to go in until a roar was heard. Out from behind one of the buildings Stardust Dragon appeared. It startled them and they all ran away from the car. The policeman started shooting at it but it didn't work. Stardust Dragon used Shooting Sonic to blow up the car, the policeman managed to get away from the energy beam although he did get injured as he was caught in the explosion. Atem started to cry again, the loud noise frightened him. Yugi, Joey and Tristan all moved in front of Tea and Atem to protect them. Stardust Dragon was about to finish the job until…he flew away. Everyone was shocked, someone called back Stardust Dragon. The policeman got up and joined the rest.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything" he apologized as he took of his hat showing his bald head.

"The best we can do is continue to…" Yugi trailed off as he heard an engine noise.

They all looked up the street and saw a van, it beeped at them. They could see waving behind the front window. They stopped next to them. Inside the van was a family. A father, who had a baby face, black indie haircut, brown eyes. A mother who had blonde hair that went just a little past her shoulders and blue eyes. There were also three kids inside the back, 2 boys and 1 girl. The two boys were roughly between 7-9 years old and the girl was younger around 3-4 years old.

"Do you need a lift, we have plenty of room in the back" the friendly father offered.

"Yes please" Tristan said.

"Hop in" the father said with a smile.

The policeman jumped in along with Tea, Atem, Joey and Tristan. Yugi did not go inside.

"Yugi, come on" Tea told him.

"I'm not going" Yugi said.

"How come?" Joey asked in shock.

"Your friends are right, it's best if you come with us. You'll be in danger if you stay here" the policeman informed him.

"I'd like to go but I can't. This is my fight. Malice is a duelist and so am I, maybe if I challenge him I can defeat him and he'll take himself and all of those monsters away with him" Yugi answered.

The others weren't sure what to make with the decision. Joey smiled and jumped out along with Tristan.

"Tea, you take yourself and Atem to safety we're gonna stay here with Yugi and help him out" Joey said.

"No you can't, it's too dangerous" Tea snapped.

Yugi walked towards Tea and kissed her.

"We'll be ok, we've been in situations like this before. I promise you, we'll win" Yugi assured her.

Tea looked into her husband's eyes. She knew there was no talking him out of it. She put her hand out.

"I haven't done this in a while. Let's put our hands together" Tea said.

Yugi, Joey and Tristan all put their hands out and made a circle with their hands touching each other's fingertips. The ink from Tea's symbol faded long ago but their bond never will.

"No matter where you are, we're always here with you" Tea reminded Yugi.

"Right" Yugi replied.

"I may be able to assist you in where to go. If there is a duelist behind this, which to me is quite ridiculous, I was told that there was a duel going on between a shady character and Seto Kaiba a couple of blocks away from his company tower" the policeman informed them.

"Thank you. That way we'll know where to start looking" Yugi replied.

Yugi hugged Atem and then gave him back to Tea. The van door closed with Tea still looking at her friends. The van then drove away leaving the three boys behind.

"Ok guys are we ready?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah let's kick some butt" Joey answered.

"I'm right behind ya" Tristan said.

Yugi, the King of Games, Joey a top duelist along with supporter Tristan all headed towards Kaiba Corporation hoping to find Malice and defeat him.

**Malice's monsters have caused so much destruction to the city already and there is still more to come. What happened to Kaiba and Malice as they prepared to duel and can Yugi save the world again? Is Jaden close to arriving? I will update soon.**


	8. Saving Ryan Kaiba

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long. It took a while to write as I have a lot of things to do and trying to fit the writing in was difficult, but I finally finished. I hope you like it. The final showdown is drawing near. It won't be long before Yugi must also tackle Malice. Will Jaden arrive soon and what will happen? Find out now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own yugioh in any way, shape or form besides my OWN characters, Malice and Kaiba's family (except Seto and Mokuba)**

Yugi, Joey and Tristan made their way towards Kaiba Corporation to find Kaiba. If the policeman was right and another duelist was with Kaiba there was a high chance that it was Malice. As they ran, Kaiba's company building could be clearly seen in front of them. It towered above every other structure in the city. Strangely enough, the dragons haven't destroyed it yet. Cyber End, Rainbow and Stardust Dragon have almost finished up with the entire west side of the city. No longer are there busy streets full of people and man-made structures used as offices and homes. Instead all that was left were fires, piles of concrete, rubble, steel poles and electrical sparks from broken wires. Every street was deserted, most of the population in this once populated city has moved to the edge of it. They were all trying to find their families or waiting for the army and navy to come and help them. Militarily groups were on the way, hordes of helicopters and tanks were making their way towards Domino City. Battleships were loaded up as they sailed towards it. Tea, Atem and the policeman arrived at the evacuation area. They sat in the van as they stared at the countless people who were sitting down queitly or standing up talking amongst themselves others were weeping and some were just downright angry. The van stopped.

"Alright, everyone can get out now" the father told them.

"Thank you so much" Tea replied.

"No problem" the father said.

As soon as the van stopped, the policeman thanked the family and ran off towards his fellow men to discuss how to handle the situation. The family abandoned their van and went deeper into the crowd, closer to the water edges. Tea, with Atem in her arms, stood in the front line. She looked at the burning city, wondering how her husband, Yugi, and her friends Joey and Tristan were doing. She was trying to be resilient about Yugi running off to danger but she knew that fate had chosen him to rid the world of evil. Even though the Pharaoh was gone, due to past experiences, the shy, scared little boy she once knew was gone. He became more confident in himself and gained the courage he needed to stand up for the world. Perhaps the whole reason why the Pharaoh and Yugi were destined to have their souls connected was to prepare Yugi, the chosen one, for other threats that'll rise in the future. The Pharaoh was Yugi's stronger alter ego. He was his past self. The light breeze caused Tea's hair to softly flutter; she held Atem tighter and looked at him. His hair was already showing that he'll resemble his father. She looked back up; in her mind she wished Yugi luck. Inside the city Yugi, Joey and Tristan made it to Kaiba Corporation. There was no sign of Kaiba, they shifted their heads left and right, trying to spot him in the shadows of flames and smoke.

"Kaiba!" Tristan called.

"Hey rich boy, where you at?" Joey yelled with his hands cuffed.

"Kaiba, can you hear us?" Yugi asked loudly.

"No sign of him here" Joey said.

Yugi turned to face Joey with a worried look.

"Remember what the cop said, he was spotted a couple of blocks away from his building so he's probably in a 1 kilometer radius or something like that" Tristan suggested.

"Probably, let's split up and keep looking around this area" Yugi said.

"Right" Joey and Tristan agreed and separated from the group, each one going in a different direction.

Yugi ran north from the group, still calling out Kaiba's name. The streets were deserted. As he ran his heart raced and he started to be out of breath. He checked everywhere, alleyways, inside stores and roads all around the area but still no sign of him. Joey took the east route where he ended up at a park. Most of the grass was turned to ashes; the water fountain in the middle has collapsed upon itself. The only things in tact were a few benches. The dragons have really done a number on the area. Remembering the dragons clicked into Joey's mind. He wondered where they were. He looked around and could spot three of them flying above in the air not far from where he stood, no longer attacking the city. Cyber End Dragon, Rainbow Dragon and Stardust Dragon were flying in a circle formation as if they were waiting for something. They looked like vultures searching for their next meal. The fourth dragon, which Joey didn't know the name of yet, was nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on here?" Joey thought.

He kept staring at the dragons above, they weren't far at all. An idea popped into his head; maybe they were encircling something that was happening over there. Whether it was Kaiba or Malice, Joey knew it would lead to something so he headed towards them. Tristan headed west from where they stood and he found himself inside a warehouse. He believed that maybe Kaiba was inside something and that's why they couldn't see him outside. The warehouse was huge and it had machines that made clothes. He looked through every corner there and still no sign of him. Yugi stopped running and stood in one place, analyzing the area around him. He turned around in a full 360 degrees circle. No sign of Kaiba. The sun's light was blocked by the heavy smoke that seeped into the atmosphere. The city was darkened. Yugi noticed the ground becoming dark, his shadow disappeared, he put his head up and looked at the sky. He gasped and saw the three dragons in the air. What happened next was so unexpected that Yugi jumped from the shock. He heard a scream that sounded exactly like Seto Kaiba and it sounded like it was coming from where the dragons were. Yugi ran towards them, Joey was already on the way; Tristan heard it too and saw the dragons. He ran for them as well. The three of them regrouped as they ran to the dragons.

"I never thought I'd hear Kaiba scream in a _help me_ way" Joey stated.

"We've got to hurry" Yugi said.

The three of them stopped in their tracks, the dragons were almost right above. They travelled a fair distance from Kaiba's company tower, further than the policeman informed them. That didn't bother them, what did was the scene that was right in front of their eyes. Malice is there with Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Malefic Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Malefic Paradox Dragon all out on the field behind him. Kaiba was on his knees, his life points dropped to 0 and the three monsters behind Malice disappeared.

"I must say Kaiba you put up an entertaining fight but the outcome was as expected, you lost. My deck completely overwhelmed you in power which you built your deck upon" Malice said.

"You must have cheated; I have never seen these cards before. They must be illegal" Kaiba asserted ignoring the fact that Yugi and the others were behind him.

"I'm telling you, my cards are legit. They were accepted and registered into my duel disk. They're just a little ahead of your time, if you know what I mean" Malice replied with a sneer.

"Whatever, whether you cheated or you and Pegasus were best buddies who made this one of a kind deck. There is still one thing I don't understand. How did you get a hold of a copy of my Blue Eyes?" Kaiba asked in anger.

"Another simple question, however I don't think your feeble mind can handle it. Basically my, let's say, teacher travelled to different time eras and collected the best cards in those eras and your Blue-Eyes White Dragon was one of them" Malice answered.

"You don't deserve that card. Let's have a rematch right now" Kaiba ordered.

"Sorry, I don't have the time anymore. I have more important things to do. I dueled you for fun, to see how good you are and I'm not impressed. You were also supposed to lose your energy but because I didn't have Malefic World out and had Skill Drain instead you got lucky" Malice told him.

"You're just a coward that's all. You come to this city, destroy everything, hurt people and disrespect me. I swear to you that I'll take you down and crush you with the entire weight of my company you amateur" Kaiba shouted to him.

"What did you call me?" Malice snapped back.

"Heh, you heard me. I bet that you are only winning duels because you have this one of a kind deck but I bet if you used other cards you're a third rate duelist…" Kaiba said mockingly.

"Yeah you tell him Kaiba" Joey cheered.

"Just like Wheeler…" Kaiba continued.

Joey fell to the floor, and then quickly got up. He was furious.

"Oh yeah, bring it on right now! Let's go Kaiba" Joey yelled with his fist up.

"Hmph" Kaiba replied looking at Joey then back at Malice.

"The weight of your corporation hey…how about I show you what little weight you have and allow me to get rid of it for you" Malice told him.

Seto Kaiba's mouth dropped unsure of what Malice meant by that. Malice laughed.

"Go Stardust Dragon" Malice commanded.

Stardust Dragon flew away from the circle and headed towards Kaiba's company tower. Everyone watched as it slowly ascended higher into the air just above the building. It flew slowly backwards making some distance between itself and the Kaiba Corporation. It stopped then thrust its head back; energy was building up in its mouth. As quick as a flash, Shooting Sonic escaped its mouth and hit right in the middle of the building, slicing the tower in two. Kaiba's face went pale, Yugi and the others stared as the top half of the building came crashing down. It shook the ground as it made contact. Dust and dirt rose into the air as the top half turned to rubble. Kaiba turned to Malice, angered by his actions.

"You'll pay for that!" Kaiba raved.

"That's the exact expression I wanted, why do you think I left your KaibaCorp intact? So I could see the look on your face when I destroy it" Malice said.

"You're insane" Yugi told him.

"I'm quite sane. I'm probably the only sane person on this miserable planet. The world needed someone to stand up and that's exactly what I'm doing. This needs to happen so the world can start anew" Malice replied.

"The change doesn't have to be so violent and direct. There are good people in this world ya know" Joey stated.

"When you find some let me know" Malice said back with his eyes closed.

Tristan interrupted;

"Look I'm probably not the only one thinking this but how did you make these dragons real?"

"This question is too complex even for me if you want to get technical but I'll try and explain. Cyber End Dragon, Rainbow Dragon and Stardust Dragon are NOT, as you say, real. They are solid, touchable holograms that are so advanced that they look like living, breathing dragons. Although they can't be because they are created when I activate these special cards" Malice explained showing them three blank cards.

"These cards are usually in capsules to keep them safe; inside these cards are chips that are programmed to design the monster. In the future Paradox, Z-One and the others created special coding and equipment for these cards which gives them the ability to absorb duel spirits. These duel spirits are then analyzed through a super computer, once scanned, the computer creates a blueprint of the creature and starts breaking it down to atoms. After that it creates artificial organisms, it forms them together all the way up from atoms, to molecules, to cells, to tissue, until it becomes what you see before you. The final step is loading up the data into these special cards so when a duel spirit is caught the little chip inside them analyzes it then looks through its database base and finds the monster. Then the card emits and fires a strong electrical current that forms into the monster. It was a long process but they managed to load up every powerful monster in history" Malice explained.

"Uh…." Tristan trailed off.

"I didn't get any part of that" Joey commented.

"I've had enough of this future mumbo jumbo. I already had to believe in my connection with Egypt many years ago and that was embarrassing enough but this is going too far" Kaiba said.

"Believe what you want, I've answered all your questions. Now you know why I'm here and how all this happened. Are we all friends again?" Malice asked.

"We were never friends" Yugi replied.

Malice ignored the answer and turned their backs on them. He turned his head to the left and gazed and Yugi and the others with his eye.

"Yugi, how about you and I duel?" Malice asked.

"I don't have time for that. We found Kaiba now I gotta go back and make sure Tea and Atem are alright. After that, I'll find you and I will defeat you. But promise me you won't attack anymore people" Yugi assured him.

"You better hurry up then. I'll be waiting for you. As for not attacking anyone anymore, I guess I could go along with that for now. Keeping these people around will give you a reason to come and duel me. However if you keep me waiting too long I'll finish the job, is that understood?" Malice said as he walked away.

Yugi nodded then he turned to Joey and Tristan.

"Let's head back" Yugi said to them.

"I have to make sure Chloe, Ryan, Mokuba, Gabby and Abby are alright" Kaiba told them.

"They should be fine. I'm sure they're at the evacuation area at the docks" Yugi said.

"Let's go" Kaiba demanded as the four of them headed back.

The three dragons broke the circle formation and began flying a new circle around the entire city as if securing a perimeter. This was war. Malice has declared war against everyone on Earth. His motives are crystal clear but are not yet justified. He felt nothing but pity for his fellow people. Malice stood where he believed was a good spot to announce where the last battle will take place. There he waited patiently for a duel with Yugi Moto, the only duelist left in this era that was standing in his way. Yugi and the others rushed back to the docks. It has reached midday and the sun's heat made it incredibly hard to keep running for so long. Also, being the middle of summer, made it even harder since the heat was intense. They covered their eyes when the sun's ray was right in front of them. Sweat trickled down their foreheads. They were going to be there soon. Meanwhile back on the boat Jaden and the others were cooking.

"It's so hot" Jaden complained.

"You've said that fifty times already…but yeah it is" Alexis agreed.

"Maybe you should take your clothes off" Syrus suggested blushing.

Alexis slapped him in the face as Jesse laughed.

"Land ho" Jackson shouted.

This got everyone's attention; they quickly looked in front of them. Jackson was right, Domino City was right ahead. Their faces turned from relaxed and tired to dead serious. Smoke could be seen seeping up from the city as well as crumbled buildings and the large crowd of people on the edge.

"Guess we've arrived too late" Jesse said.

"Malice" Jaden growled as their speedy boat got closer and closer.

More of the damage could be seen up close as the speedy boat slowed down, readying for port. Jackson, with precision, parked the boat on a small pier away from the large ships. The gang jumped off, Jackson stayed behind. He wanted to be ready for when they need to get back, so he will refuel. Jaden and the others walked off the pier and onto the docks where they could see the full extent of the destruction.

"This is horrible" Syrus commented.

"You said it Sy. I can't believe I let him get away" Jaden cried, angry at himself.

"There was nothing we could do, as of now we need to know what's been happening. Maybe find some kind of authority" Jesse suggested.

"Good idea" Alexis agreed.

The four of them joined in with the large crowed of people. There was so many that once one ship filled up, another ship was being prepared to load up more as soon as possible, so the ones remaining had to wait till the ship was ready. Jaden, Syrus, Jesse and Alexis walked through the crowd apologizing every time they accidently bumped into someone. Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Kaiba managed to meet up with Tea who hasn't moved from her spot. She was the first person they saw.

"Tea, have you seen any of my family?" Kaiba asked.

"No, not yet" Tea answered.

"I have to find them" Kaiba said as he ran off into the crowd.

"I'm glad you're alright" Yugi said as he kissed her, then he grabbed Atem from her arms.

"Hey little guy" Yugi said in a cheerful way and bounced him up and down in the air making Atem giggle.

He gave his son back to Tea; there was work to be done. Now that he knows Tea was ok he must venture back into the city and deal with Malice.

"I've got to go back" Yugi told her.

"What do you mean?" Tea cried.

The reason I came back was to make sure you and Atem are safe and now that I know you'll be boarding the ship and be sent away from here I can concentrate on one thing and that's to take down Malice" Yugi said.

Tea was about to argue with him until she remembered about what she thinking about while they were gone. Yugi must do this; he is the only one with the skill and willpower necessary to win. She smiled.

"You can do it. Take him down" Tea said.

"Right" Yugi replied.

"Joey, Tristan. I want you to stay here while I go and fight Malice. I don't want you in danger" Yugi said.

"What? You are kidding, right Yugi. We've been there for you in every battle and we are not gonna stop now" Joey told him.

"But…"Yugi persisted.

"But nothing, we are a team. There is no way I'm letting my pal down" Joey replied.

"Joey's right, we will be there on the sidelines, giving all the support we can" Tristan assured him.

Yugi was outvoted. He really didn't want them to go with him but knowing how stubborn the two are, he knew there was no point in arguing. His friends cared and if he was going to go down fighting, then so will they. Yugi didn't bother trying to convince them anymore, he nodded. Jaden and the others were still searching through the crowd for authorities. The Slifer Red duelist popped his head out of a gap in the large crowd. Who he saw made his heart rate increase. He saw Yugi Moto, his idol, along with his wife Tea, son Atem and best friends Joey and Tristan.

"Hey Yugi!" Jaden called running out of the crowd, heading right towards him overexcited.

Yugi shot back at first by the sudden call of another person. Jaden ran right up to his face and just stared at it. Yugi sweat dropped.

"It's so good to see you again" Jaden said.

"Uh yeah…you…too" Yugi stuttered still a little unsure on who Jaden was.

Jaden stood there confused. He noticed that Yugi didn't notice him. He stepped back a little just as Syrus, Alexis and Jesse joined them.

"Wow, it's him. The King of Games himself" Syrus stated as his body froze with nervousness.

"It's so good to meet you" Alexis greeted.

"Awesome, I've always wondered how my Crystal Beast cards stacked up against the best. I have a chance to prove it" Jesse said.

Joey and Tristan didn't know what to make of these newcomers.

"Hey Yugi, you know them?" Joey asked.

Yugi turned to look at Joey and Tristan who expected an answer; he didn't know what to tell them. He hadn't recognized Jaden yet. He then looked at Tea who was busy staring at Jaden's group.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry but could you tell us who you are" Tea asked.

"WHAT!? How could you forget me? I dueled with you against that Paradox guy" Jaden tried to remind him.

"Paradox…"Yugi trailed off as he began to think.

He experienced a few flashbacks of the masked man from the future that killed his Grandpa and Pegasus. Then the duel popped into his head, a duel that happened a long time ago. He remembered that he, Jaden and Yusei all fought against him and won.

"Oh yeah. Wow it has been a very long time" Yugi said with a cheery tone, remembering what happened.

"A very long time, what are you talking about? It has only been a year" Jaden said.

"Well maybe for you it's only been a year but remember Paradox travelled through time and went to many different eras. This is your era in time which means for me it's been about 14 years since I last saw you but since you're from this time it only feels like a year" Yugi explained.

"Oh…well that explains it" Jaden replied with a big grin.

Joey and Tristan mumbled to each other about not ever seeing this kid and perhaps that whole time incident happened when they weren't around with Yugi. Tea didn't comment. Syrus and Jesse talked among themselves, they were a little jealous because they didn't understand why Jaden always gets the best duels. Alexis stood there trying to take it all in. Unfortunately she didn't have much time as the topic was quickly changed.

"So why are you here Jaden?" Yugi asked.

"We are in serious danger. I don't know if you've seen him yet or not but the one behind these attacks is from a duelist who calls himself Malice" Jaden answered.

Yugi turned his smile upside down. This is a serious conversation. They needed to come up with a plan to take him down.

"So you know about him too huh" Yugi said.

"Yeah, actually Malice used to be a friend of mine named Drake but he went crazy and stated all these motives and beliefs about the destruction of the world. He attacked my friends and absorbed their strength. I dueled him and managed to win but he still didn't back down. He said he would start with this city so we went after him and now we're here" Jaden told him.

"Well I'm sorry kid but your friend caused some major damage and hurt so I'm gonna have to knock his block off" Tristan said.

"Easy there tough guy" Alexis told him.

The rest of the group ignored Tristan's comment.

"Well so far things haven't been good here either. Dragons attacked the city, I made sure Tea and Atem were safe, we looked for Kaiba, found him then came back here" Yugi updated Jaden on what's been happening.

"What should we do now?" Jesse asked.

"We should look for Malice and defeat him. He has already accepted my challenge and is waiting for me inside the city" Yugi replied.

"It's the last showdown, I'll be right there to duel with you" Jaden said.

"I should have grabbed my duel disk but I didn't expect any of this to happen today. My house is probably gone. Sorry pal" Joey apologized to Yugi.

"That's fine Joey, you will be helping me. Your support will give me the power to win" Yugi assured him.

Joey nodded, Tristan gave the thumbs up. Syrus noticed the baby in Tea's arms; he walked towards him with a big smile.

"Aww isn't he cute" Syrus said making funny faces which amused Atem.

Alexis smiled as she walked over as well.

"So this is your son, Yugi?" Alexis asked.

Before Yugi had time to answer Jaden jumped in front of her. Jaden's quick movement in front of Atem startled him.

"No way, so this is the King of Games' son" Jaden said as he grabbed Atem and lifted him up.

Atem immediately began to cry. Jaden too got startled and didn't know what to do. Tea snatched him back and slowly swayed Atem side to side as she made a soothing shoo sound. Alexis slapped Jaden at the back of the head.

"Ow, what was that for?" Jaden asked rubbing the back of his head.

"For being a jerk, you don't just grab a baby like that" Alexis told him.

"She's right dude" Jesse said.

Jaden apologized and Atem stopped crying, he was comforted by his mother. Once the group quieted down they were just about to discuss their next move until Seto Kaiba was seen running back towards the group.

"Yugi, have you seen anyone yet?" Kaiba asked as he stopped in front of him.

"No not yet" Yugi answered.

Kaiba looked upset he hasn't been successful in finding anyone from his family.

"Hi Seto Kaiba it's nice to meet you. I'm Jaden Yuki and these here are my friends Jesse, Alexis and Syrus" Jaden introduced himself and his group.

Kaiba didn't really care. He grunted and didn't reply.

"Not very nice are you" Jaden said.

"I don't have time for nice greetings, I have to find my family" Kaiba told him firmly.

"We'll help you look" Syrus offered.

Before Kaiba could say another word, someone yelled his name within the crowd. Everyone turned around only to find Mokuba heading towards them. He was waving his arm in the air from side to side. Kaiba called out his name; Mokuba stopped in front of them and took a breather before talking. Once his breathing was more relaxed, he talked.

"Seto, where have you been?" Mokuba asked.

"Where have I been? You mean where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you, is everyone alright?" Kaiba asked.

"Yes most of us are ok. Chloe, Gabby and Abby are all on the ship safe and sound. We were the first ones to go through and we've been waiting in the cabin. But you didn't arrive so I went looking for you" Mokuba explained.

"We must have just missed each other. Hold on, where's Ryan?" Kaiba asked in panic mode.

"Uh…we thought he was with you. Chloe went to go find him at school but the teacher's said he left after the attack started so she figured he was with you" Mokuba answered.

Kaiba gasped. Somewhere in the city, his son was in danger. He must find him and get him out of harm's way. Kaiba put his head down in thought and fear.

"Oh no" Mokuba said softly.

The others weren't sure how to help; they have never met Ryan in person before, not even Yugi, so they had no idea what he looked like or where he would go. So the only thing to do was to see if Kaiba knew of any place Ryan would go in a situation like this.

"Kaiba do you know of any place Ryan would go to if he was scared?" Tea asked.

"Good idea, if we can figure out where he MIGHT be, it's a good start" Jesse agreed.

Kaiba didn't say anything at first, he was in deep thought.

"Ryan always told me of a place he loves to visit. He told me it brought our family pride and strength and it was the safest and best place to go…where was it…" Kaiba thought.

Flashbacks appeared in his mind of his son telling him about it but no sound came out of his mouth when Kaiba tried to think of where he could be. It was locked somewhere in his memories. Things have been so hectic with work he hardly concentrated on other things. It wasn't KaibaCorp, not even his own home…it was…a business deal. He told Ryan about it, when he took over more than 45% of this cities business. KaibaCorp expanded from a gaming company to many others things even though the gaming industry was still its main source of business. It took place in the largest building in Domino City, Kaiba Corp may be the tallest but the largest building award goes to the DCB Building (Domino Court of Business), that was the place where all the big deals get made, even takeovers. Every large and some minor businesses in the city get together and have arguments or buy shares if they wish. It was only 30 stories high but very wide with more than 1000 rooms. Most of them were small offices or boardrooms. In the middle was a large court, similar to a government, where owners came together. There, Seto Kaiba took over many industries; it raised the company's profits by tenfold. He remembered sitting with his family at dinner and telling everyone about it, Kaiba also explained how large the building was and how nothing could penetrate it. Ryan must have taken that into account and believed that was the safest place to be. It hit him like a strike of lightning, Ryan was there.

"Come on let's go Mokuba" Kaiba told him.

"Go where?" Mokuba asked.

"To the DCB building" Kaiba answered as he started to run to it.

"Hey wait up" Jaden yelled as everyone else followed.

Tea is the only one who stayed behind, the others went off to the DCB Building to save Ryan. It was the only task left keeping Yugi and Jaden from dueling Malice. Once he was safely back in his father's arms there would be nothing to stop them from ending this whole mess once and for all. Yugi and Jaden both were thinking about this incident as they were running. Yugi felt that Malice was his most dangerous villain to date. Perhaps not the most powerful, but he was actually able to get as far as cause some major damage, as well as physically hurt people. None of his previous foes managed to get that far. This time one has and Yugi has never felt more despair than now. At the moment Malice was the greatest threat he has ever faced. Jaden was thinking differently, he didn't see Malice as a villain at all, but as his old friend Drake. As much as Malice wanted Jaden to fear him, it just couldn't happen. Jaden wasn't scared of his friend, he just believed he has been confused and angry and those mixed feelings were clouding his judgment. He made a promise to himself that he was going to stop Malice and get Drake back. The group managed to get to the DCB building, Kaiba wasn't over exaggerating. The place was big, very big. They may have got to the building but now another problem has come up. Which part of the building was Ryan staying in? It was so big that it may take a long time before they could find him. The group, led by Mokuba and Seto, went inside the lobby. The sliding doors automatically opened, it seemed no one had the time to lock it, they immediately left the building. Mokuba went to the front desk to look for some kind of map for the inside of the building. If they know where everything was, it would be a lot easier trying to find Ryan than trying to find him blindly, unsure of where everything was. As Mokuba looked through the large stacks of paper, the rest of them eyed the lobby. It was probably one of the smaller rooms with only a few things in it. The floor was black marble, the walls were concrete white. Smooth white pillars were neatly aligned with one another leading to the front desk. Five on each side, spread out evenly. Two medium sized couches, each could fit two people. Were opposite of each other on the bottom right corner right next to the glass which showed the street outside. The entire front of the lobby was glass. The front desk was made out of the same marble as the floor and seemed connected. But this was only the outside; the inside of the desk where actual things were done was a light grey coloured plastic. Mokuba rushed through the stacks, giving each sheet a quick glance to see which one was the map of the insides. Behind the desk were two elevators, both silver doors and each one led to another part of the building.

"Anything Mokuba?" Yugi asked.

"I can't find it" Mokuba said.

"What are you looking for?" Alexis asked.

"He is looking for some kind of map or floor plan for the insides of this building. We can pinpoint the main parts of it and have a clear track age of where we've been and where we can look" Kaiba answered.

"Good thinking Kaiba" Joey complemented.

Kaiba didn't reply he just stared at what was in between the doors. Right in front of his eyes was the words 'Floor Plan- Find your Way'. Kaiba walked up to it, he just found what they needed. He studied the map. The DCB Building was divided into two main sections, the left elevator will take you to the living quarters where people who have large business deals stay and work. There are many apartments to make sure they are comfortable. The right elevator takes you to the offices and conference rooms, where all the work stuff gets done. Both ways lead to the main part of the building which is the courtroom. The team would have to split up into two groups. A small plan was formed in Kaiba's mind.

"Seto, I managed to find a couple of copies of the floor plan, it was in one of the draws" Mokuba said.

"Perfect, we'll need them. I just had a look at the one on the wall and from the looks of it we'll have to split up" Kaiba said.

"I'll go with the King of Games" Jaden called out.

"Fine, we'll split up into two groups, Mokuba, Yugi, Jaden and the tall blue hair kid will come with me and we'll check out the living quarters. The rest of you will head to the right to the offices and conference rooms. Even if you find Ryan keep walking until you get to the courthouse, that's where we'll meet up. Make sure you check every corner" Kaiba told them.

"Sweet plan" Jaden commented.

"At least we'll know where to go and where to find you" Syrus said.

"Hey Kaiba how come you didn't want me in your team?" Joey asked.

"Because Wheeler I'm not a fan of dogs" Kaiba remarked as he pressed the elevator button.

"Who you calling dog?!" Joey yelled furiously.

Syrus and Tristan held him back. Joey's teeth gritted as he tried to loosen from their grip. A ding was heard and the left elevator opened. The first group walked inside.

"We'll catch up with you guys soon, good luck" Yugi said.

"No problem" Tristan replied just as Joey calmed down and gave Yugi the thumbs up.

"See ya later" Alexis said.

"I'm sure we'll find the kid in no time" Jesse told everyone just as the door closed and the elevator rose up to the first floor.

"Ok Jumping Joey Wheeler is ready for the search" Joey declared enthusiastically.

He pressed his elevator button and the door opened with a ding. The elevator was fairly large that could easily fit a small group of people. It had the main buttons that took the person to wherever he or she desired. The thing that caught everyone's eye was that the elevator had two doors. The one that just opened for them and one on the other side of it. He jumped straight in followed by Syrus, Tristan and Alexis. The door closed and slowly lifted them to the first floor. The search was going take a while and judging from Malice's patience, that wasn't a good thing for them. Kaiba's group was looking in the living quarters. As soon as the door opened they were revealed to a dining area. It was full of chairs, tables, napkins, forks and knives. This was the area where everyone had breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was a large room with white, angelic curtains which were closed, and blood red carpet. There was about 100 wooden tables, each a different size to fit a certain amount of people. There was a piano near the entrance and the kitchen was visible right away. The group spread out and looked around. Jesse and Jaden checked under the tables which were covered by a white cloth so no stains got to the actual table. Mokuba checked the edge of the room while Yugi and Kaiba checked the kitchen which was full of silver ware, cooking pots and some dirty dishes. Ryan was nowhere to be seen, not even in the freezer where a lot of the food ingredients were stored. His name was called out multiple times but still nothing. The entire place was deserted.

"Alright next level" Kaiba shouted.

The same door that opened for Joey's group on the bottom floor also opened when they arrived at their first floor.

"Guess that other door is for something else" Joey said.

"Yeah I wonder what" Tristan wondered.

"We don't have time for guessing games, let's go find Ryan" Alexis told them.

"Right" Joey replied.

Joey's group looked in a completely different area; there were no fancy tables and food but lots of desks and computers. The first level was probably going to be the same as every other level. There were numerous small offices for individual people. It was an entire hall of just that. It was easy to look through since the offices were like a bedroom. Unfortunately there was no luck for Joey's group either, they searched every crack and corner but to no avail. They too moved up a level. The second level for Kaiba's group contained utilities, the building felt like a hotel for them. At first you are welcomed to a hallway, with one door on the right, one on the left and one at the end of the hall. The first two were single doors, one led to the gym, the other led to a small room filled with cleaning products for janitors and such. The last room had a large two wooden door and inside was a lap pool and a Jacuzzi. The floor changed from brown carpet to brownish/orange tiles when they walked inside the pool area. Still Ryan was nowhere to be found so they moved up another level. Joey's group came to their second level. This level was quite different than the one before. This floor only had one room and it looked like a library. Numerous shelves were neatly placed in a row, full of education non-fiction books. A few chairs for people to sit down and read as well as a table for taking down notes were placed in the middle of the room surrounded squarely by rows of shelves. The group made sure they checked everything properly. Syrus started a conversation, he was curious about Joey and Tristan.

"So how did you guys meet Yugi?" Syrus asked.

"We met him many years ago and we kinda gave him a hard time when we first knew the guy. But one day Yugi stuck his neck out for us even though we put him through a lot. That day I knew the true meaning of friendship and from then on I backed up Yugi whenever I could. We became good pals" Joey answered telling the story very briefly and quickly as he continued looking around.

"You guys are so lucky, to be friends with the King of Games" Syrus replied slightly jealous.

Tristan studied a few of the books. He didn't understand one bit, most of them were about on how to succeed in business. He put them back and called out for Ryan.

"This is going to take all day. I say we just leave and let Kaiba handle it. He has a whole group of flunkies" Tristan complained.

"Stop whining we are here to find a little boy who is probably scared out of his mind" Alexis snapped.

"Clearly you don't know Kaiba's family" Tristan said as he put his hands into his pockets and walked around.

"Alright he's not here, let's keep going up" Joey told the rest.

Joey's group went back into the elevator and moved up to the third floor. Meanwhile Malice was waiting for Yugi to return. Unfortunately he ran out of patience, Malice became irritated with doing nothing. It was just a huge waste of time standing there, doing nothing.

"Oh well, it may not be as fun but I warned him. It is time for you to perish Yugi Moto and for me to release the big guns; this entire city shall be engulfed in darkness" Malice snarled as a purple aura surrounded him.

Back at the docks, word spread that the tanks have almost reached the city. Out at sea, the giant battleships could be seen coming closer. The crowd called desperately for help. The authorities started to board the rest of the population onto ships so they can safely be taken away as the city will be blasted by an array of missiles and large caliber bullets. The people scurried onboard while the navy prepared for battle. Tea didn't move, she was worried about Yugi and the others, if they don't get out of there soon, they might not get back. Malice grinned as purple energy shot out of him and formed into Malefic Truth Dragon. He summoned Malefic Truth Dragon as they used to do in Egypt millennia ago when Atem, the Pharaoh, ruled over Egypt and Bakura used his Diabound. Malefic Truth Dragon roared as it too had an aura appear around it. It lifted its head up and shot a purple energy stream out of it's mouth, into the sky. The beam exploded in the air and along came with it was a black/purple/pink, space-like energy veil that slowly covered the city in a dome. This took the army and navy by surprise. They were being completely cut off from the city. Yugi and the others noticed something was happening outside. They scurried to the window. Joey's group did the same; he put his face on the cold glass and stared up as the city is being covered.

"This is new" Joey commented.

Yugi stared at the dragon high above in the air. Malefic Truth Dragon was re summoned.

"Malice…" Yugi trailed off.

"What's going on?" Jaden wondered.

It wasn't long before the entire city only had a few citizens left, Yugi, his friends and Malice. The three dragons stopped encircling the city and roared. The roar sounded as if they were in pain, something was happening to them. Suddenly black energy streams fell from the sky and began circling the three dragons. Black and white armor started to attach themselves to the three beasts. Paradox like masks attached to their faces. They have become their more powerful Malefic forms. Yugi and the others watched in horror as Malice's three beasts descended into the city. Malefic Truth Dragon stayed in the air. Malice gave orders to his monsters.

"My beautiful monsters, let's end what we came here to do. I want you to find Yugi, Jaden, Kaiba and the others and end them once and for all" Malice told them.

The three dragons rose to the air again and flew around the city searching for their prey.

"This is nuts" Tristan said.

"We better stay away from the windows, so they don't see us" Alexis told them.

"Good idea" Joey agreed as they went deeper into the building away from sight.

At Yugi's group they discussed on what to do.

"I should go and face Malice. You can continue looking for Ryan. At least that way, I can distract him" Yugi offered.

"Do what you want Yugi but I'm not resting until I find my son" Kaiba replied as he walked to the elevator.

"Look I think that we should find Ryan first. Malice has cut himself off from the people so there is no more danger and if we keep on the down low we should avoid the dragons spotting us and once everyone is safe we can face Malice" Jesse suggested.

"Wow Jesse, good plan. What do you think?" Jaden asked Yugi.

"Sounds good, let's hurry" Yugi replied.

Outside of the dome the armed forces weren't sure how to proceed. What would happen if they blasted the dome? Was it safe? The navy and army tried to decide amongst themselves. Tea, along with Atem, stood right in front of the dome. The veil was right in front of her face, only inches away from her nose. She didn't flinch at all. She took a few steps back and kept staring at it. It was if her soul has left the body, her mind raced with thoughts. She didn't know what to do. Should she try to run through, or wait here and hope for the best? The armed forces certainly didn't wait. The battleships fired upon the dome and so did the tanks on the other side. The booming sounds of the firing cannons were unbelievable and each time the dome was struck a ripple formed with the ammunition disappearing into it. Little did anyone know, going into the dome would result in being taken to a Malefic universe. But because they didn't know, the firing was constant for a minute or so. Missiles were shot into it as well but the trail of smoke behind it cut off as soon as it touched the dome and not a sound was heard after it went through. Some tanks even tried to go through but when they did, they never came back. It was decided by the superiors to stop the attack and wait it out until the dome disappears. The armed forces stood down for now but they were ready for anything. Inside the DCB Building both groups have almost reached the top level. After a couple more floors, the last place to look would be the court itself in the middle of the building. Yugi's group's area has been more of the same ever since they reached the third floor; it was just full of guest rooms. However this upper floor was different. Instead of guest rooms, the floor they were on was a gaming room. It was full of arcade games and pool tables. This part of the building was exactly like a hotel. In case some of the men or women had to bring their families there were plenty of facilities to make sure no one was bored.

"Ugh, we should be getting close to finding him now. We've been looking for an hour" Mokuba said.

Jaden yawned.

"Maybe he's not here" Jaden said.

"Of course he's here, he has to be" Kaiba shot back.

"Maybe he has found his way to the evacuation area, we don't know" Yugi told him.

"I think I know my own son Yugi. I wouldn't expect you or anyone else to understand" Kaiba shouted.

"Dad…" a voice said softly.

This caught the attention of everyone immediately. They spun around to find a mini Kaiba crawling out from behind the pinball machine.

"Ryan" Kaiba said as he ran up to him and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Kaiba asked.

"Yeah. I'm ok dad. Sorry I hid from you. I wasn't sure who it was until you shouted" Ryan answered.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is we found you" Kaiba replied as he embraced his son.

Seto Kaiba was cold at heart but deep inside he did care for people, especially his family.

"Hey nephew we were worried. How come you came here?" Mokuba asked.

"Well I remembered Dad telling us how safe this place was if anything happened and so when the attack began I left class and ran here. I was hoping mum got to the evacuation area and you guys too. I thought that if I stayed here I'd be ok until all this stuff passes" Ryan answered.

"Smart but next time please stay with your parents" Jaden pled.

Ryan nodded, Kaiba stood up.

"Ok, we found Ryan. The new problem is that it looks like this dome has covered the entire city. Who knows what would happen if we touched it so it looks like we are going to have to take care of Malice next" Kaiba told the gang.

"Sounds good" Jesse commented.

"Awesome, it's time to kick butt" Jaden cheered.

Yugi stood there smiling, and then his smile faded as he looked at Kaiba's face. The face of total horror was imprinted on it; Yugi slowly turned around and looked outside the window. Malefic Cyber End Dragon was flying by their window and looking directly at them. The creature roared as if to say, I found them.

"Run" Mokuba cried.

As the group bolted towards the elevator, Malefic Cyber End Dragon's three heads broke through the glass and tried to bite Yugi and the others. The roof was collapsing as pieces of it feel to the floor. Ryan tripped and fell. Kaiba spun quickly and yelled his name. Ryan froze as the three headed machine dragon drew ever so close. It's jaw snapping towards him. Luckily just before the dragon reached Ryan, Yugi grabbed him and dragged him away from the bite. Ryan got up and they all rushed into the elevator. Mokuba pressed the button as quick as he could, urging for the door to close. Malefic Cyber End Dragon pushed itself even further in, completely devastating the entire floor. The elevator door closed and moved upwards to the roof. Malefic Cyber End Dragon blasted into the building, the explosion reached the other end and obliterated anything in its path. Yugi's group's elevator shook violently as it just avoided the flaming balls of doom. The Triple Strident Blaze attack, thankfully, missed the cables pulling the elevator upwards. The attack hit right next to the elevator doors. Joey's group was shocked when they felt the floor underneath them shake. A large crack in the floor started to spread everywhere.

"What's going on?" Joey cried.

"Let's get out of here" Syrus squealed.

"Head for the elevator" Alexis yelled.

The group scurried towards the elevator as the floor began to cave in. Alexis pressed the open button. The elevator door opened, they jumped in as quickly as they could just as the ground beneath them collapsed down a few levels below. No longer was there a floor where Joey, Tristan, Syrus and Alexis were standing just a few moments ago, instead there was a large hole. The building was very wide and stable, so other parts of the building were still intact except for the floor where Joey's group was before it collapsed. Yugi's floor was completely wiped out, Malefic Cyber End Dragon's attack created a big hole on the side of the building. The creature pulled its three heads back out just as the elevator door closed for Joey's group and started to head upwards. Yugi, Kaiba, Ryan, Jaden and Jesse all made it to the top roof, they walked out of the elevator just as Malefic Cyber End Dragon and Malefic Rainbow Dragon rose above them. Behind Yugi's group a small ding was heard. Out of the second elevator, next to theirs, came out the rest of the gang. The sky was dark; everything around them was covered with what looked like Malefic World.

"Oh man, just when you thought it was safe to go higher" Joey stammered as he and Tristan slowly walked backwards in an embrace.

Syrus and Alexis sweat dropped as the two dragons readied to fire their blasts. Kaiba looked around trying to think of something. Yugi managed to spot an emergency stairway usually meant for fires. It was a stairway that was connected to every floor in the building and has numerous fire extinguishers on the walls.

"Guys let's go down to the emergency stairway" Yugi told them.

"Good thinking King of Games" Jaden commented as everyone spun around and headed for the door.

The two monsters unleashed their devastating attacks only to miss as the group bolted for their only means of escaping. The roof was wreaked, another hole had been added. They managed to get to the door but when they got to it, they felt true dread and terror. The door was locked. Jaden tried to turn the knob but it wouldn't budge. Jaden was pushed out of the way by Kaiba and he too tried. He desperately tried to rotate the doorknob as hard as he could but to nothing happened. The two dragons flew closer to get a clear shot as their blasts are being generated in their mouths. Joey, Tristan and Jesse tried to kick it down but the door was thick and wooden. All hope seemed lost. Malice was going to win. All his goals shall be completed. Unless they managed to get out of, what seemed to be, an impossible escape. They all turned around just as the two monsters once again unleashed their fury upon the heroes. As quick as a flash the blasts collided with a target but it wasn't the target they were going for. The blasts travelled along the surface of the roof and hit another building right next to it. The light from the two beams started to fade. Once the aftermath of the attacks was over the group, it revealed to the dragons as to why they missed. Yugi and the others were all on the floor, they managed to duck just in time. Instead of hitting them, the two monsters obliterated the entrance way to the fire stairway, both the door and the 2 meter concrete box that it was attached to was gone. They all shot up and looked down only to see stairs. A huge relief flustered them; Ryan was the first to go down followed by Alexis, then the rest followed. Malefic Rainbow Dragon flew down towards them, getting ready to strike. It stuck its head into the stairway just missing Jaden's head. Jaden slowly turned around, looked it in the eye and said;

"Heads up" Jaden said as if wondering why no one told him to duck.

Malefic Rainbow Dragon tried to wiggle its way in but it was far too large to fit so it pulled itself back up and flew away along with Malefic Cyber End Dragon. They looked up only to see the space-like wall that covered the city. No breeze was heard or felt.

"Let's get out of here, this emergency stairway should lead us to the bottom floor, we can finally get out of this dump" Kaiba insisted.

"Yeah I'm tired of running" Syrus said trying to catch his breath.

The group headed down the stairway, everything was grey concrete besides the red railing which was made out of metal, thick metal. The light inside was dim, there was just enough for them to watch their step and see where they're going. Outside Malefic Stardust Dragon joined Malefic Cyber End Dragon and Malefic Rainbow Dragon in the air. The white dragon flew next to the building with the other two staying behind. Once it was close enough Malefic Stardust Dragon's Shooting Sonic beam was shot out of its mouth. As it contacted the building, another floor was instantly destroyed. The booming noise could easily be heard inside the emergency stairway.

"What was that?" Jesse wondered.

"I don't know, something must have blown up in the building somewhere" Tristan replied.

"I don't think so…" Yugi trailed off as more booming sounds were heard.

Malefic Stardust Dragon flew around to the front of the building, shooting at everything in sight. From ground floor to the top floor, its Shooting Sonic attack ripped through the walls and everything inside turned into a blaze.

"We've got to get out of here as quick as we can before this whole place goes down" Joey said.

"It looks like the dragons are smarter than we thought. They think we are hiding in here so they're just trying to get us out" Kaiba said.

"You're probably right" Alexis replied.

Kaiba kept walking down with the rest right behind him. By the time they reached level two Malefic Stardust Dragon has destroyed the entire front of the building. Thankfully the emergency stairway was deeper in. The front had been exposed, both the living quarters, and offices can all be seen from the outside. They were all badly damaged. Malefic Stardust Dragon landed onto the ground and started blasting at the insides. Little did the monster know that it hit the best spot and Yugi and friends were just about to discover why. When the dragon's last attack hit, it felt so close to them. The ground beneath them shock more intensely than before. They grabbed onto the rails until it stopped. Once it did, they continued forward only to find that they were cut off. Malefic Stardust Dragon's previous attack managed to hit the emergency stairway and cut them off from ground level. It was too high for them to jump without getting injured. They were trapped. Sparks and smoke was all that could be seen below.

"Darn, we can't get out" Kaiba growled in anger.

"Now what?" Jaden asked.

"If we can't make it to the bottom floor, there is no other way to get out of here" Yugi said.

Ryan thought for a moment then lightly poked his dad a few times. Seto Kaiba turned around.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think there is another way. It is a spare entrance and exit for those who are only here temporarily and those who are very important. It is in the court. I remember seeing it while looking for the best place to hide" Ryan informed his father.

"Really, there is another way out?" Mokuba double checked if he heard Ryan correctly.

"Yes I'm sure" Ryan replied.

Kaiba smiled.

"Fantastic, I see you're just like your father. Cunning and smart, you'll make a great duelist and president of the company" Kaiba complimented his son.

Ryan looked at his dad with a big grin. He enjoyed his father's recognition.

"How do we get there?" Syrus asked.

"According to the floor plan, every level leads to the court so let's just head up to level three and we should be able to find our way" Mokuba answered.

"Sounds like a plan" Joey agreed.

The whole group ran upstairs this time, and headed straight for the door to level three. They took the door to the office part of the building. They made their way inside and noticed that the whole level was a wreak. Papers were everywhere, computers were sparking with dangerous electricity and many things fell off desks such as folders and even the smaller cabnets were all tipped over. The building had taken a heavy toll. It won't be long before the entire structure collapsed on top of them. There wasn't a moment to spare, as soon as they entered the level they desperately tried to find the way into the large courtroom in the centre of the building. Mokuba studied the blueprints closely. Outside Malefic Stardust Dragon was joined with the other two and together they blasted everything that they saw. They have just shortened the time by dividing it by 3, things looked bad. Strangely enough the duelists couldn't find the door that led to the court. It couldn't be hidden because people needed to use it. Mokuba did see the entrance to the court on their level on the floor plan but he couldn't make out where it was.

"This is weird, where could this door be?" Alexis wondered.

"We searched the entire level and have found no door that leads to the court" Tristan informed the others as Jesse walked by his side.

"Hold on, maybe the door isn't on this floor but it is on this level" Mokuba said.

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"What I mean is that, perhaps the entrance isn't here where we are, it is at part 2 of this level, another floor in the same level" Mokuba tried to explain.

"Is that even possible?" Syrus asked.

"Of course, it's kind of like a video game. In a stage, or in this case level, there can be numerous parts of it before you reach the next one. We might be looking at the wrong part of this level. I recall seeing more buttons on the elevators other than the main ones at top where it's visible" Mokuba answered.

"Oh man, how could I forget? I used this elevator before but I was too distracted by what's going on around me and also it's been a while since I've been here. There is another set of buttons underneath the main ones. It is covered but all you have to do is open it and you'll find buttons that'll take you to different levels of the court" Kaiba told everyone.

"Let's see" Jaden said as he ran to the elevator.

He pressed the open button; thankfully the dragons still haven't reached this elevator yet so it was still intact because the other one that took people to the living quarters dropped while they were on the roof, it took heavy damage from when Malefic Cyber End Dragon shot at them on the level where they first encountered it in the building. Jaden looked at the main buttons then noticed a small compartment underneath; it required a cardkey to open.

"I found it but it needs a card key" Jaden told them.

"Oh great, just our luck" Jesse said.

Seto Kaiba walked into the elevator and pushed himself in front of Jaden; he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cardkey. He slid it in and the compartment immediately opened revealing more buttons, one for each level that led to the court. There was a button that read LV 3.

"Come on dorks, let's go" Kaiba asserted.

"Where did you get that card?" Yugi asked as he and the others walked into the elevator.

"I used to come here very often, you could say I have a premium membership" Kaiba replied with a smirk.

They all squeezed in. The elevator shook violently from the devastation that was taking place outside.

"Let's quickly get there before we go down with this elevator" Joey said nervously.

Kaiba pressed the LV3 button. Everyone expected the elevator to move however didn't move at all, instead the door behind them opened. This shocked everyone. In front of them was just a short hallway that led to the court. The walls were snow white, all made of marble. The floor was chocolate brown carpet.

"So that's what that door was for" Joey said.

"Hey Kaiba how come you couldn't remember about this door if you've been here heaps of times?" Tristan asked.

"Because I never took this entrance before, I always used to come through another way, a more VIP way" Kaiba answered thinking about how he usually came to this building through the ground level which was below the bottom floor. The ground floor was made up of just concrete and was only used for parking and getting to the court's most important seats. He always entered and exited this way with his limo.

"Yeah I guess that explains it" Yugi said.

Seto Kaiba, along with Ryan, started walking down the narrow hallway. Only 1 adult and perhaps a small child could fit walking side by side in it. The rest followed one by one. They got to the end of it in a matter of seconds. The court was huge, easily at least 100 meters in diameter. In the middle of the courtroom and on the bottom level was the judge's chair, the one who announced decisions and calculated votes in which each company would do in case a decision wasn't made properly or wasn't agreed with. Next to him are four other seats, two on each side. The seats were all black leather. They looked very comfortable. The Judge's seat was also leather but it was red. His desk is a reddish brown colour and is made of wood. In fact every bench in the courtroom was wooden, even the floor was polished floorboards. The walls however were white concrete. Right behind the Judge's raised desk on the wall was the letters DCB in which was made from gold. The letters looked bold so the gold was fairly thick. The courtroom had eleven levels; the first ten also had chairs and benches but they were different from the ones in the centre. They were black, but instead of leather they were mostly covered soft cloth with a sponge underneath where the butt and back were laid. The arm rests were plastic, thick plastic. The courtroom was a spherical shape, the centre, followed by ten levels that travel around it, encircling the centre. Each of the ten levels were barricaded by a waist high wooden wall. The level above the tenth level was completely separated from the courtroom. There was a concrete barricade on it that was also white and was chest high so no one could fall. It was made up of mostly small but very sturdy pillars that were roughly only a few centimeters apart. Every level had a hallway entrance leading to it except for the centre where the four main people and the judge sat. There was a separate elevator on the side of the centre that led to ground floor. The entrance that Ryan was talking about could not be seen yet.

"Whoa so this is where the serious business stuff happens" Syrus commented.

"Hey Kaiba, where did you sit when you came here?" Jaden asked.

"Where do you think?" Kaiba replied in a smart aleck way as if the question was obvious.

"Ummm" Jaden tried to guess.

"It's one of those nice leather chairs isn't it" Joey mumbled.

"Good guess Wheeler" Kaiba laughed.

"That's weird there are at least ten more levels on this building and I thought you could get to the courtroom in every level" Alexis said.

"You can. Don't you remember, the buttons in the small compartment on the two elevators only go up to LV 11 so even if you are higher you can still pick any level of the courtroom you want" Mokuba explained.

"Pretty neat if you ask me" Jesse commented.

"Now all we have to do is find out where this door is" Yugi said.

"Ryan knows" Syrus said.

"Yeah, it's right behind the judge's high desk. You actually can't see it unless you're in the centre. The other four would know about it but not even they take that exit, only the judge does and I'm certain it's another way out" Ryan informed them.

"The only problem is how we get down there" Jesse said.

"It's all cool bro we just have to go to ground level" Jaden replied.

"Impossible, you can only get to the ground level from the outside; there is no other connection to it" Kaiba told them.

Yugi studied the whole courtroom.

"Seems to me you were one of the important ones Kaiba but how come the level above 10 is fairly distant from the rest of the courtroom?" Yugi asked curiously.

"This is how it works around here. The centre is where the Judge and the VIPs sit. The VIPs are the four who control most of the city's business. All of us are presidents or CEOs of our companies. The first level is for Board of Commissioners. Each business chooses one of them and he or she comes here. The next two levels are for the Board of Directors for a business. The next two are for Chief Executives and the rest are all Managers of smaller businesses in the city like your Grandfather's game shop; however he isn't big enough for something like this. Lastly level 11, the one that is separated from the rest of the courtroom was for the media" Kaiba explained.

"Alright, I think I get it" Yugi replied sweat dropping.

"Yeah well I don't. So anyway how do we get outta here?" Jaden asked.

The group couldn't go back now so the only way to get out was forward.

Kaiba went closer to the wooden barricade and looked down.

"We are going to jump" Kaiba said.

"Wait what!" Joey shouted.

"No way, we can't jump through all the levels. There must be another way" Tristan complained.

Without warning the hallway behind them exploded, the elevator was destroyed and through the hallway came a burst of flames. Luckily the group managed to move to the side just as it faded into the courtroom. The dragons were near. Outside, Malefic Stardust Dragon and Malefic Rainbow Dragon were on the roof, both targeting the centre of the DCB building. Malefic Cyber End Dragon struck their elevator and was targeting the front side. Shooting Sonic and Rainbow Stream both were shot onto the roof. Above Yugi and the others the roof started to crack. If the dragons kept this up, the roof above will give in.

"Looks like we don't have a choice now" Kaiba said as he jumped over the wooden barricade and landed onto the next level quite skillfully.

The levels in the courtroom were not too far apart. The barricade was there most likely so that the benches and angry people don't fall. It was only a 5 meter drop. People could easily jump down to the centre except for those on the top level which was double the distance apart between itself and LV 10. Yugi was next along with Jaden, Jesse, Joey, Mokuba and Alexis.

"Come on guys, quick" Alexis called out to them.

"If you don't hurry we might not get out of here alive" Jesse pointed out.

"I hate heights but what the heck" Tristan said as he took a deep breath.

He was nervous; the proof was on his face which was red as a tomato. Without thinking too much he went for it. The problem with not thinking too much was that you had to think where to jump and Tristan completely ignored that and paid the price. He landed right onto the bench. The fall did hurt his back but he didn't gain an injury.

"Man, not very bright in fighting his fears" Jesse said.

Jaden chuckled.

"Come on Sy, you and Ryan are the last ones" Jaden said.

"Right, Ryan did you want to go first?" Syrus asked.

"I don't know. It looks high" Ryan was worried.

This was taking too long. Kaiba needed to be more assertive otherwise Ryan might not jump and he will put everyone, including himself in danger.

"Come on Ryan. We have to go now. JUMP!" Kaiba yelled.

Suddenly a huge chunk fell from the roof and landed onto the second level's bench. It broke through the bench like a twig. A loud cracking sound was heard as the bench split where the chunk landed. It was big, 1 meter in length and width. Ryan was frozen. Syrus tried to talk him through it.

"Ryan if we don't get out of here we'll all be squashed" Syrus told him.

"But…I" Ryan stuttered.

"Don't worry about it; you only fear the unknown. I promise you, you won't be hurt during the jump" Syrus said.

"Really?" Ryan asked to be sure.

Syrus nodded with a smile. Dust and tiny pieces of rubble fell from the roof, it won't be long now. The booming noises of the blasts could be heard as well as the destruction they were causing. Behind Ryan and Syrus Malefic Cyber End Dragon's roar ran through the building. They looked behind and saw it. The three headed dragon had made its way in. It stared at the two boys before powering up its attack. Ryan didn't think much of it anymore; the machine dragon blasted one fireball out of its left head that stuck itself into the hallway which was extremely tough due to it being narrow. The fireball was heading right towards them. Together both Ryan and Syrus jumped. Their heads just cleared from the fireball's path. It whizzed past them and struck the wall behind the Judge's seat. The gold DCB letters fell from it along with more chunks of concrete and tiny rocks. The group tried to move it as quick as they could. Ryan touched the floor first, his feet hit the ground, the impact ran up his spine. It was a painful shot up the back followed by a tingle, but he was ok. Syrus experienced the same. Together they all continued jumping. They only had one more level to jump before they reached the center. The roof's cracks became larger, stronger signs were showing of it about to give in. Especially since a bulge was forming in the middle of it. They reached the first floor, only one more jump to go. Mokuba, Joey, Yugi, Alexis and Syrus have already landed in the center. The rest were still making their way down. Tristan didn't necessarily drop this time. He decided to do something smarter. He went over the ledge and grabbed hold of the edge, minimizing his drop by close to two meters. He then just let go. It was a much easier way, the down side was that it took longer to jump down. Mokuba looked up, just above the centre; the roof had already been torn from the sides and a large hole was made right where they were standing. In fact, an entire desk was about to slide down the hole that was made. Mokuba could see the edge of it and it was slowly getting closer to falling.

"Come on" Mokuba screeched.

Jaden made it after Tristan, Jesse went next. Only Kaiba and Ryan were left.

"Go" Kaiba told him.

Ryan did what Tristan did and went over the ledge and hung on the edge before letting go. A light screeching sound was heard, Mokuba looked up. It was the sound of the desk scraping on the floor, moving ever so close to the hole. Just under half of the desk was leaning over the edge. Only a little more weight and it would tip over. Yugi watched as Ryan dropped and Kaiba got ready to jump. He was sweating heavily. The whole situation was more intense than any card game he's ever played.

"Ryan show them where the exit is. I'm right behind you" Kaiba told him.

Ryan nodded and told the group to follow him. They all kept up with Ryan while keeping an eye on Seto to make sure he was ok. They all turned to him as they power walked while checking up on Kaiba. Kaiba walked backwards, he prepared himself for the jump. He ran as fast as he could and leapt over the wooden barricade and landed on the ground. The landing really hurt his legs. The pressure from the impact made them numb. Even his back was sore; Kaiba kneeled on the floor, he tried to recover before he continued. The group stopped and was about to help him until the scraping sound was heard again. Strangely it was just for a moment this time, that's when Kaiba looked up and saw a 100 kilo desk plummeting towards him.

**Seto Kaiba is DOOMED! Or is he? Will the duelists ever get out of this mess and if they do, can they finally defeat Malice? All these questions will be answered next chapter as Yugi and Jaden take on Malice along with all their friends. Yes there will be a duel next chapter, I promise. I will update soon.**


	9. Yugi vs Malice pt 1: Reckoning

**The wait is over. Yugi must challenge Malice to a duel in order to restore peace. However Malice is one tough opponent and won't go down without a fight. It shouldn't be a problem for the King of Games to win? Should it? Find out now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh in any way, shape or form. I only own my oc characters Malice and Kaiba's wife and son. I do not own any of the cards, characters, etc. (I'm putting this on every chapter just to be safe)**

Kaiba stared in horror, he was about to meet his demise. The desk became ever so close; Kaiba had only seconds to react. Thankfully, in danger, the human body relies on its reflexes to fight or flight. Seto Kaiba reacted automatically and used all his leg power to push himself backwards. He tumbled onto the ground away from his doom as the desk smashed onto the ground, shattering into small wooden bits. Kaiba was at a loss for words. Mokuba and Jaden ran to Kaiba and lifted him up from the ground and supported him with their shoulders. His legs hurt, he struggled to stand up. However being as stubborn as he was, he didn't want their help.

"I'm fine" Kaiba insisted as he tried to walk on his own but failed.

He fell to the ground, his legs felt like jelly. His legs weren't broken, just in shock. Mokuba and Jaden picked him up again and started carrying him with their shoulders towards the exit.

"You don't need to prove anything, I mean, you're hurt. You need help" Jaden said to Kaiba who didn't reply.

Ryan wanted to check on him but he knew there wasn't enough time to do that now. He ran behind the judge's seat and looked for the door. Unfortunately, he couldn't see it. He looked left, right, behind and front; the door was nowhere to be seen. The group caught up with him, they too looked around for the door.

"So where is it?" Jaden wondered.

"I'm not sure. I can't see a door" Jesse said.

"Ryan where is it?' Tristan asked.

"It should have been here, I saw it on the map and…" the truth slipped out of his mouth as he spoke.

"So you never were here when you found it. This door could be in a completely different level!" Joey shouted. He wasn't angry at Ryan directly but very annoyed on being deceived to going this way when perhaps there was a safer way.

"Back off" Kaiba yelled back.

Ryan looked down at his runners; he knew that they all knew the truth.

"I'm sorry, I was so sure. I took the map from the judge's office and I was so sure it was our way out of here" Ryan replied softly. He went red in the face from embarrassment and guilt.

Joey gave up on asking why and put his head as well as everyone else. They knew that in a few moments they'll perish and there was no way out of it. More large chunks of the roof fell. Numerous things from the upper levels crashed into the benches, chairs and floor below. This was it; this was how it was going to end. Suddenly a glimmer of hope appeared as Yugi studied the ground they were standing on. The floor looked a little different from the rest. It was the same colour as the floorboards but it wasn't made of floorboards. It was just a huge square of the same wood. His eyes travelled on the outlines of a square shape they were standing on. There were two hinges, both on the same side, one on the far left, and the other on the far right. No wonder they couldn't see the door. It was underneath them. Yugi's face glowed.

"Guys, I found the door" Yugi said.

"What, where!?" Joey asked.

Yugi didn't have to answer, all he did was look down and that answered the question. Everyone else followed his gaze and also saw it. It was a trap door.

"Awesome, let's go" Syrus said.

"Good eye, Yugi" Joey complimented.

Tristan and Jesse pulled it open. A stairway was exposed to them. They all scurried inside. It was dark at first but the light from the courtroom showed that there was a switch at the bottom of the short staircase that was only 10 steps down. Ryan and Alexis were the first inside followed by Jaden and Mokuba who were still supporting Kaiba. Ryan flicked the switch which turned on a line of lights. The passageway was just a straight line to an exit door. Jesse and Tristan were next. Yugi, Syrus and Joey were still out there. Out of the blue an immense cracking sound was heard. It died out until yet another sound was made, it sounded like grinding rock and a dynamite explosion. The middle of the roof has collapsed. Tons of concrete, wood, computers, office materials, beds, and chairs, everything from above fell into the courtroom. Since the courtroom was in the middle. The upper levels were both the offices and living quarters. Syrus quickly ran in. Joey and Yugi grabbed the trap door and pulled it up over them and closed the door as they scampered down the stairs. The others were already at the exit door. Mokuba held the door open as Tristan and Jesse ran through. The sound from the collapse was like an explosion in itself. The thundering noise, sounded like an earthquake as the trap door's entrance from the courtroom burst open from the weight of concrete, steel and everything else from the upper levels above the courtroom. Luckily Yugi, Syrus and Joey were at a safe distance and weren't affected by it. They made their way out of the building and into the open again. It was like a fresh breath of air. Kaiba was sitting on the ground with Ryan next to him making sure he was ok. Mokuba let go of the door and also ran to his brother, Seto.

"Phew, that was a close one" Jaden said relieved that it was over.

"Indeed it was. For a moment there I didn't think we'd be able to get out" Jesse said.

Jaden chuckled then looked at Joey who was walking towards Ryan.

"Little Kaiba, I'm sorry for yelling at you before. I was scared because I didn't think we'd be able to get out. I panicked" Joey apologized.

"You should be sorry, it's because of my son that we are alive" Kaiba replied not giving Ryan a chance to acknowledge the apology.

"And you should be saying thank you to Jaden and Yugi. Guess you do need friends after all to help you out" Joey sniggered as he enjoyed tormenting Kaiba about the fact he needed assistance from people he didn't like.

"As long as I'm not you Wheeler, I'll live happier" Kaiba replied with a smile as he slowly tried to get up.

He wanted to get the feeling back in his legs so he could walk again. Mokuba stood by him and made sure he didn't fall. Kaiba took one step, followed by two. He fell to his knees; Mokuba was just about to lift him up but was stopped by his older brother. He outstretched his hand in front of Mokuba.

"Don't worry Mokuba, I'm fine. Let me keep trying" Kaiba told him.

Yugi looked to the sky which was now nothing more than Malefic World.

"Your next Malice, I hope you're ready" Yugi thought.

Jaden walked next to Yugi and stood next to him, they turned to each other and nodded. Yugi turned his head forward.

"Ok I'm going off to duel Malice" Yugi declared.

"No problem and we'll be there to help ya if you need it" Joey replied as he shot his fist in the air.

"I'm also going, who else is coming?" Jaden asked.

"I'm definitely coming, I wanna see the King in action" Jesse answered.

"Me too" Syrus said.

"Me three" Alexis continued.

"You can all go ahead. I'll catch up with you" Kaiba told them.

"I'm staying here with Seto, you can all go if you want" Mokuba said.

Ryan looked worryingly at his dad and also decided to stay with him. Tristan didn't want to miss out on the action but he knew he had to be the one to stay with Kaiba and make sure he was alright.

"I'll stay with Kaiba. You guys go" Tristan told them.

Yugi nodded and wished them good luck. He turned around and started heading towards inner city to find Malice followed by the rest who wanted to go and witness it. Mokuba, Ryan, Seto and Tristan stayed behind. Yugi and the others only walked a few steps until they heard a very familiar roar. It was Malefic Stardust Dragon. It found them and was flying right above. It started to descend.

"Aww not again" Jesse complained.

"They just don't stop coming" Syrus whined.

It came down and landed right in front of them. They stood their ground and prepared themselves to avoid its Shooting Sonic attack. Strangely the monster didn't attack; it looked at them and roared again. It then turned around and lifted itself from the ground and flew low, away from them. After a certain distance, it turned around and looked at them. It roared again, signaling for them to come towards him.

"I guess it wants us to follow it" Jaden said.

"No way, it could be a trap" Alexis replied to Jaden's absurd gesture.

"I don't think so. I think it's taking us to Malice. Malice must have told it to lead us to him when we were found. That's why they attacked the building so hard, either the building collapsed and we were all to be crushed or we would escape and it would lead us to their master" Yugi explained.

"Guess we should follow it then, I mean, it's found us so whether we deal with it now or later it's the same" Syrus said.

Jaden already started to walk, followed by Yugi then the rest.

"I still think it's a bad idea" Joey said.

Back to where Kaiba and the others were. Malefic Cyber End Dragon and Malefic Rainbow Dragon stopped their assault on the DCB building and flew back to Malice where he awaited for his opponent. Kaiba and the others looked up and saw them flying away. Watching the beasts finally leave them alone. Deeper into the city Malefic Stardust Dragon constantly checked on Yugi and friends to make sure they were always behind it. They travelled from the east side of the city towards the centre. They were close to where Kaiba Corporation used to stand tall. Now it was only half of what it used to be. The streets were engulfed in a dark presence, Malefic World had changed the look of the city, everything had the same shape but everything was covered in the pinkish/black space-like veil. No longer could the destruction of Malice's monsters be seen, everything was covered. It felt as if they were in another dimension, similar to the effect the Shadow Realm had on duelists. It was a well way away from the DCB building; they were led through a few blocks and around corners. Malefic Stardust Dragon turned around one more corner. Once Yugi, Jaden and the others did also, they saw him. Malice was waiting for them in the middle of the burned down park Joey went to when he was looking for Kaiba. Behind Malice were the three dragons, flapping their wings, keeping airborne. Yugi and friends kept walking until they were close enough to be able to talk with him but far enough to be safe from the dragons. Malice kept staring at them, not moving an inch.

"Welcome challenges. I'm glad you could make it. This is going to be fun" Malice said.

"How is any of this fun, Malice? You almost turned us into pancakes and have wiped out most of the city" Joey yelled at him.

"Of course this is fun. In fact it's been giving me quite a rush. Ever since I've obtained the power of this Malefic deck I've lived just to constantly be driven by the fear being given off by the people" Malice replied.

"You're sick" Alexis shot at him.

"If I'm sick, then the whole human race is sick! What I did to this city is what people are doing slowly every day to this world and the innocent are punished because of it" Malice told her, he felt so sure of himself.

"No need for any more of your rambling, let's get down to business" Jaden said as he held his duel disk up.

"Indeed, but my business is no longer with you Jaden. I'm looking forward to dueling with only one more person today and he is standing right in front of me" Malice said as he turned his head to look at Yugi.

Yugi stepped forward; he knew this battle was only for him and him alone. It was his destiny to constantly save the world from evil and Malice is no exception. Yugi knew that he was good at this game, maybe even the best. Although in his mind he doubted himself because he hasn't been in any serious duels in a while. He's only been dueling children for fun. So his skills might be rusty.

"This duel is going to be tough and I haven't dueled anyone tough for a long time. But as long as I believe in the heart of the cards, I should prevail" Yugi thought.

"I can't believe how epic this is, I'm about to witness the legendary Yugi Moto dueling" Syrus exclaimed.

"It'll be something to remember" Jesse added.

"Yugi will win. I mean if I could beat him surely Yugi can kick his butt" Jaden remarked.

Malice heard Jaden's remark. He looked at him and smiled.

"Believe me Jaden when I say this. I'm properly prepared for any situation with this deck" Malice told him.

Jaden didn't respond. Joey didn't say anything; he was really concerned about the three dragons being there.

"Hey Malice, promise us you won't be using those three monsters to attack" mentioned Joey.

"Don't worry about them, they're going back into their cards" Malice said as he lifted three blank cards in the air.

Immediately the cards chips activated and released an electrical current that struck all three monsters. As quick as a flash they were gone. The monsters were absorbed into the cards. Malice put them into their safety capsules.

"There, no more interruptions. Are you ready Yugi?"Malice asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be" Yugi answered.

The stage was set, both duelists were ready. The dragons were gone and the rest of the group stood back as Yugi, the best player to ever pick up a deck, was about to duel again. Yugi's stomach churned, his body was tensed. Honestly, he was nervous. If only the Pharaoh was still with him then this duel would have been a lot easier to deal with. The Pharaoh gave him a gift that he could of never have gained on his own, the gift of courage. It was his chance to prove himself, even without Atem he could still be as good as he used to be. Yugi grasped the Millennium Puzzle in his hands and looked at it. The golden pyramid shaped puzzle sparkled even without the sun. It was the only memory he had left and was so thankful when the puzzle was brought to him once again by Marik Ishtar who had a dream that he needed to return the puzzle to Yugi Moto and was warned by Shadi. Even though the Pharaoh's spirit passed, he still felt infused with the power they once shared. Yugi let go of the puzzle and looked back at Malice.

"It's time to duel" Yugi announced as he activated his duel disk.

"About time" Malice agreed as he activated his.

"Let's see what you got, King of Games" Malice said as he drew 5 cards from his deck.

Yugi did the same and the duel commenced with both of their life point meters on 4000.

**Note: Like in the previous duel, at the end of every turn you will see an info chart during the duel saying how much life points each duelist has and how much cards are in their hand but this time the traditional graveyard will appear instead of banished cards.**

_Malice: 4000lp Yugi: 4000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 5 Cards in Hand: 5_

_Graveyard: 0 Graveyard: 0_

The spectators watched anxiously to see who will come out on top. Even though Yugi was a master at this game, Malice was good too and so there was no guesses on who was going to win. But they wished that Yugi would be victorious. Joey looked at his best friend.

"Just like old times huh pal" Joey thought.

"I'll go first since this is my game, I draw" Malice declared as he drew.

"First I'll activate the spell card known as Truce" Malice said as a holographic card appeared with the picture of two hands shaking.

"What's that card?" Yugi asked.

"It's a simple effect that you and I would have to agree on before activating. It works similar to that of the Friendship card; you and I must agree to activate this effect which means we must shake hands. If we do, the card works. If we do not the card doesn't work" Malice explained.

"You still haven't told me what it does" Yugi asserted.

"I'm getting there. The effect is that both of our life points will be doubled and neither of us can attack until your second turn" Malice answered.

"That's a good card. I say that Yugi should agree" Syrus said.

"Don't jump the gun yet Syrus, Malice could have a trick up his sleeve" Jesse told him trying to stop him from getting too excited.

"Jesse's right, who knows what Malice is planning. He wouldn't just increase both of their life points by that much if there wasn't a strategy to it" Alexis agreed.

Jaden was a little confused; Malice didn't play that card in their duel so why did he play it now. Could of that card been one of the last ones in his hand? Jaden questioned the first card that was played.

"Yugi, make sure there is no downside to this effect" Joey reminded Yugi who was already ahead of him.

"Tell me, is that all that card does?" Yugi asked, making sure.

"Unfortunately yes. It helps me too remember so no need to get suspicious" Malice replied.

Yugi started to walk towards Malice and Malice did the same. The two met in the middle of the field. Malice extended his hand out for the shake. Yugi was persistent at first, pulling his hand back a few times before reaching out and shaking Malice's hand. They looked at each other as they shook. Then at the same time they let go, turned around and walked back to their spot. Once Malice returned to where he was standing his Truce card activated. Both of their life points increased to 8000. Neither of them can attack until Yugi's second turn.

"Guess you were telling the truth after all" Yugi said.

"Of course, why would I lie to you?" Malice replied.

Malice looked at his hand with a grin.

"Yugi, do you remember facing against Paradox's Malefic deck?" Malice asked.

"Yes, it's faint but I still have some memory of it" Yugi answered.

"Then you should know how powerful they are. Fortunately for you, today is your lucky day" Malice told him.

"Why's that?" Yugi asked curiously.

"You'll see. I summon my Cannon Soldier to the field" Malice shouted hoping to get a shocked response from Jaden.

Jaden's eyes went wide. It hit him like a ton of bricks. Malice's deck is completely different than the one he originally used. This was bad because Yugi hasn't dealt with this deck before and neither has Jaden himself so he couldn't assist Yugi with more information about Malefic monsters.

"Hold up, what's going on here? Cannon Soldier wasn't in your deck last time" Jaden yelled at him in disbelief.

"How perspective of you, I've created a new deck especially for this duel. Malefics is my original and most powerful deck but this deck is much trickier and was designed so my opponent would be completely helpless against it. You'll see for yourself" Malice explained as he lifted his duel disk in front of their faces.

"Smart. He knew Jaden knew about his Malefic deck and suspected that Jaden would reveal certain strategies, so he spiced things up with a brand new one" Syrus said.

"What are these Malefics he keeps speaking of?" Joey asked.

"Malefic is a type of deck that originates from over 150 years into the future" Syrus answered.

"I don't get it, how did that kid Malice get those cards" Joey wondered.

"He got it from a time traveler called Paradox, a ruthless man who came back to trial Duel Monsters and to eliminate the game. Yugi, myself and another guy worked together to defeat him but I'm afraid the seed of evil was planted and so it wasn't fully extinguished when we beat the main source. Paradox gave my friend Drake this deck and now all he thinks about is power" Jaden tried to tell the story as quick as he could.

Joey was dumbstruck; he just stared at Jaden, sweat dropping.

"So you're telling me this kid got a special deck from the future from an evil nutcase. Why does this stuff always happen to us?" Joey asked himself.

The attention was moved once again to the duel.

"I'm not done yet, next I activate the spell card Stray Lambs. This card creates two lamb tokens" Malice said as the two tokens appeared on the field next to Cannon Soldier.

"You are aware of Cannon Soldier's special ability aren't you? I can tribute the tokens and each one I tribute you lose 500 life points" Malice reminded Yugi.

Yugi already knew that and just realized what Malice was trying to accomplish.

"I tribute both tokens to give you 1000 points of damage" Malice raved as he pointed his finger at Yugi.

One lamb token disappeared and the energy was given to Cannon Soldier who shot at Yugi. He lost 500 life points. The second lamb was also sacrificed and dealt another 500 points of damage.

"You see what this deck is all about. I don't even have to attack you in order to decrease your life points. I'll constantly pound with you effects that drain it and you'll be unable to attack me. I'll end my turn at that" Malice told Yugi with glee.

It has only been the first move and yet Malice has already begun his main strategy. The truce card may have helped Yugi out at the moment but it also helped Malice out too. If Yugi only got a few hits onto him, Malice would still have plenty of life points but Yugi's will constantly be attacked without having to go through his monsters. Yugi drew a card; he needed to pull off something great to counteract what Malice just did. Yugi looked at his hand and was quite impressed.

"I activate the spell card Black Magic Ritual. I send two monsters that equal up to 8 stars to ritual summon the Magician of Black Chaos!" Yugi called as he placed the card on his duel disk.

The 8 star ritual monster appeared on the field, holding its staff confidently, ready for battle. It was a powerful start for Yugi; his monster had 2800 attack points. Not many duelists open up with a monster that had over 2000 attack on the first turn. Already Yugi's skill was impressive, even Jaden sighed in excitement.

"Yeah! Wait to go Yugi, great start" Joey cheered.

"Wow, guess he really does live up to his reputation" Jesse complimented.

"You bet. There is no one who can rival him" Syrus added.

Jaden didn't say anything; he didn't need to comment on how good Yugi's move was because the move spoke for itself. Alexis shared Jaden's silence; she glanced at him with a smile. She knew that he was ecstatic watching his idol go all out on an opponent. Malice was amused.

"Well done Yugi, however your move was in vain. Thanks to my Truce card you can't attack until your next turn" Malice pointed out.

"Yeah I know. I end my turn" Yugi replied.

_1__st__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 8000lp Yugi: 7000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 3 Cards in Hand: 2_

_Graveyard: 2 Graveyard: 3_

"That's not good, Malice's spell card stopped Yugi from attacking with his powerful monster" Alexis said.

"Doesn't matter Yugi still has the upper hand with a stronger monster" Joey said unsure if he believed in what he just said.

Malice most likely had cards that will stop the Magician of Black Chaos' attack and Yugi will have to be ready for it. Joey has been with him for a long time and knew that his best friend has been in some very tough duels and managed to pull through them so he should be able to win this one. However, Yugi always had the Pharaoh with him and now that he was gone Yugi had to win alone. He managed to beat his alter ego many years ago and proved to himself and everyone around him that he was strong and confident without Atem. However that strength and self-confidence faded away as the years went by. Perhaps this duel will spark the passion back into Yugi's heart. Joey hoped so. Malice drew a card.

"It's time to get things going; I'll make sure that your Magician won't be able to harm my life points. First I'll activate Spell Absorption" Malice said as he played it.

Yugi recognized that card immediately.

"Spell Absorption?" Syrus wondered.

"It's a pretty nifty spell card. Every time either of them activates a spell card Malice gains 500 life points" Jesse explained.

"Oh yeah. I must have snoozed off with Jaden in that class" Syrus said with a nervous tone.

"Next I'll activate Scapegoat, which gives me 4 sheep tokens and 500 life points thanks to my Spell Absorption" Malice continued as his life points increased.

Malice glared at Yugi who also glared at Malice. Neither one of them diverted their gaze. For Yugi, it was harder to keep his eyes locked on to Malice. He had minor doubt about his dueling and that was going to cost him if he didn't pull himself together and believe. Yugi broke the stare first, intimidated by the over confident opponent. Malice could sense the fear and he loved it, especially because it was coming from the King of Games.

"My Truce card doesn't allow me to attack yet either but it doesn't matter because not only do you have a stronger monster than me but also I don't need to attack you when I have my Cannon Soldier's ability. I tribute 2 sheep tokens to take away another 1000 of your life points" Malice stated as 2 of his sheep tokens disappeared. Cannon Soldier blasted at Yugi twice, one for each sheep token causing Yugi to lose 500 life points for each attack.

"I'll finish up by switching Cannon Soldier to defense mode" Malice said as he turned the card on his duel disk to its side and ended his turn.

Yugi drew a card and looked at his hand. Studying his options, he didn't find much. Although he was in control with the strongest monster also Malice had no face down cards which meant he could go on the offense and be safe from anything destroying his monsters. He made a choice;

"I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior and I'll have both my monsters attack yours. Go Magician of Black Chaos, destroy his Cannon Soldier" Yugi commanded as his spell caster launched its electrical sphere shaped attack.

Cannon Soldier was sent to the graveyard.

"Beta get rid of one of his sheep tokens!" Yugi shouted as he continued his battle phase.

Beta the Magnet Warrior made short work of the sheep token. Tokens do not count as cards so nothing went into the graveyard. Malice only had 1 sheep token left to defend his life points. Yugi finished up his turn.

"I'll set a card and end my turn" Yugi said.

_2__nd__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 8500lp Yugi: 6000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 2 Cards in Hand: 1_

_Graveyard: 4 Graveyard: 3_

"It's my move, stand back" Malice told him as he drew a card.

He looked at it quickly and without thinking, activated it.

"I activate Card of Sanctity which means we both draw until we have 6 cards in our hand" Malice said as both he and Yugi drew more cards from their deck.

Malice's life points increased by 500 again thanks to Spell Absorption. He was 3000 life points ahead of Yugi, a huge lead. Unfortunately for Malice, his hand wasn't up to speed in what he wanted to accomplish so he set 2 cards face-down and didn't summon or set a monster. This was a rare move in which he didn't say anything at all.

"Your move" Malice told Yugi as he ended his turn.

"Malice only has 1 sheep token left. If Yugi summons another monster he can cause some damage" Alexis said.

"But if he attacks then Malice will probably activate one of his face-down cards causing Yugi to lose his monsters, it's too risky" Syrus insisted.

Both Jaden and Jesse disagreed.

"No Sy, Yugi should attack. It would be better if he knew what was hidden so when his better cards come along he won't have to worry" Jaden said.

"Yeah, what Jaden said. Yugi will force Malice to use his best traps at the start and won't have to worry about them when it really counts" Jesse agreed.

"Hang in there" Joey mumbled as he watched the duel, waiting for Yugi to make his move.

Yugi drew a card; he was struggling to decide what to do next. If he attacked there was a high chance that Malice would activate 1 of his face-down cards but if he doesn't it would give Malice another chance to regain a strong defense and increase even more life points. He must attack, it was all or nothing. Otherwise Malice' strategy may immobilize him which won't allow Yugi to attack at all.

"Alright, I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior and I'll get him to attack your last sheep token" Yugi declared as his monster sliced the sheep token and destroyed it. Malice didn't activate a trap card yet which meant he was saving it, probably for his Magician of Black Chaos.

"Next, Beta, attack him directly" Yugi yelled as he pointed at Malice.

Beta the Magnet Warrior charged for the attack. Yugi and his friends waited for Malice counter it. Strangely, he didn't. Beta the Magnet Warrior's attack decreased his life points. He didn't flinch from it. Yugi wasn't sure if he should attack with his Magician or not.

"Should I attack…Yes I'll get him to use whatever he's got hidden there" Yugi thought and at last told his Magician of Black Chaos to attack.

His spell caster monster fired its attack. Everyone watched in anticipation as it got closer to Malice, Malice smiled. Yugi gasped.

"Here it comes" Syrus said nervously.

Joey frowned, Jaden, Jesse and Alexis didn't blink. Malice kept his smile but shockingly he didn't activate anything, the attack hit Malice causing him to tumble backwards. The holograms may be harmless but the new solid vision allowed the person to feel a pushing force when the attack struck, especially when the monster was strong. Malice's life points decreased by 2800, he slowly got up showing no signs of tension. No one expected this.

"I don't get it; he set 2 cards face down and didn't even use them. Were they a bluff or is it something else?" Yugi thought to himself as he questioned Malice's actions.

"I don't get it, he didn't use anything. He just let himself be attacked, what are you schemeing?" Joey wondered.

"Malice's strategy has completely changed" Jaden told them.

"What do you mean Jay?" Jesse asked. Joey turned around to hear Jaden's answer.

"Well when I dueled him, he used brute force and tried to overpower me with lots of strong monsters. Now he is just kicking back, letting his opponent attack him while he builds a wall of defense, increases his life points and decreases his opponents. It's the complete opposite" Jaden answered.

"He can use whatever strategy he wants, my pal will win. Just you watch" Joey assured them as he turned his head back to the duel.

"I end my t…" Yugi was cut off.

"Before you end your turn" Malice interrupted. "I'd like to activate one of my face down cards. I've read the rules of this game and I can activate this card before you end your turn. I activate the continuous trap card Solemn Wishes. My life points increase by 500 automatically on my standby phase" Malice explained with a big grin.

"Malice played another card that increases his life points. Even if Yugi attacks him directly with monsters, he can recover everything he lost in the next turn" Jesse bellowed.

"You can do it Yugi, you're the best bro" Jaden shouted with his fist in the air.

"Typical, that you see him as the best. That's funny coming from a low rank" Malice teased Jaden.

"Wait a minute, you lost to me. So if I'm low ranked, what are you?" Jaden replied actually trying to think of a rank lower than low.

"Be quiet. I should have won that duel. For some reason, you have this ridiculous power of drawing the right cards at the right time and same goes for Yugi. So this time I built a deck that'll keep me strong until you draw out all of your luckiness" Malice snapped back.

"It's not luck; it's called the Heart of the Cards. Something my grandpa taught me and I have kept to it ever since. I trust in my deck and respect my cards, something you don't do" Yugi said.

Malice was in no mood for this argument, they were just cards. They were nothing more than pieces of paper that have no value to anyone. Although some cards have spirits of the monster, they still couldn't do anything. That was until Paradox showed him the true value behind the cards and thanks to technology; it was shown first hand to him what they could do when they're real. Malice's morals were fueled by the power he had. It was a dangerous combination. Power can change a person's morals and values. Even a good person could be driven to madness because of it. Always wanting more, greed takes over the person's mind. It was these kinds of people that ruined the world. Malice was out to change that and didn't understand why so many were trying to stop him. What he was trying to do was right…wasn't it? Malice shook his head, getting rid of all argumentative thinking about his actions. Yugi's turn was finished.

_3__rd__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 4500lp Yugi: 6000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 4 Cards in Hand: 6_

_Graveyard: 5 Graveyard: 3_

"I have ended my turn. You can draw a card now" Yugi reminded him.

Malice escaped his deep thinking and drew a card from his deck. Solemn Wishes increased his life points by 500 when it he was in his standby phase. He looked at his hand, he had a plan. Malice was getting close to get things really going but first he had to take out Yugi's monsters and he had just the cards to do it.

"I activate my second Scapegoat to create 4 sheep tokens" Malice said.

"Not that again, that card stalls too long" Jaden complained in annoyance.

"Not only that, Malice's life points increase due to Spell Absorption" Jesse told Jaden.

Malice lifted a card in front of Yugi. Yugi looked at it, slightly lifting up his head.

"The next card I'm going to activate will devastate you, it's a good spell card called Token Sundae. I must destroy all of my tokens on the field. But for each token that is destroyed, a card on the field is also destroyed. Since I had 4 sheep tokens, all the cards on your side of the field are gone. Your monsters and your face down card" Malice explained as Yugi's side of the field was wiped out.

Yugi grunted and covered his eyes with his arm as all the cards on his side exploded.

"Luckily I had only 4 sheep tokens because if I had 5 and you had no cards on your side of the field, one of mine would of been destroyed since the card affects both" Malice continued.

"I guess this time you're the lucky one" Yugi said.

"Indeed, I was hehe" Malice replied.

He wasn't done just yet. Malice activated yet another card from his hand.

"I'll finish up with my third and final Scapegoat" Malice said as another set of 4 sheep tokens appeared.

The Scapegoat card was becoming a real nuisance. It created four barricades for Yugi to go through before he could strike Malice's life points. The small audience watching was getting irritated.

"I'm really starting to hate that card" Alexis said.

"You said it" Jaden agreed.

"Hey, I use that card, but I only have 1 copy" Joey told them.

"At least you have one, but this guy has 3 copies. Thankfully, you can only have 3 copies of a certain card in your deck unless the card is limited or forbidden" Jesse replied.

"Then this guy needs a new rule book because I believed that Scapegoat did become a limited card to only 1 copy per deck" Alexis said.

"Then this guy is cheating" Joey growled, tightening his fists.

"Well his duel disk did accept it, so I guess we just have to go along with it" Syrus said.

The group went back to watching the duel. It hasn't been easy for Yugi, especially trying to win since Malice's life points kept going up and kept Yugi's monsters at bay. Yugi had to do something and quick. He drew a card. As soon as he looked at it, he played it.

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, which means I can destroy 1 spell or trap card on the field and I choose Spell Absorption" Yugi said.

The rough winds of the typhoon sent Spell Absorption to the graveyard however Malice still gained another 500 life points due to an activation of a spell card. Malice didn't care; he already possessed all the life points he needed. Losing that card wasn't a huge loss, it did its job.

"I summon Queen's Knight in attack mode. I'll get her to attack 1 of your sheep tokens" Yugi declared as his monster sliced a sheep token.

Malice had 3 remaining tokens while Yugi had 1 monster.

"I'll finish up with 1 card face down" Yugi said as he set a card.

_4__th__ End Phase Stats_

_Malice: 7000lp Yugi: 6000lp_

_Cards in Hand: 2 Cards in Hand: 4_

_Graveyard: 9 Graveyard: 8_

Malice drew a card. He blinked once then began to laugh. He drew a good card, one that'll surprise everyone as it didn't exist in this time period, one that every token user needed. Yugi paid close attention to Malice's next move; he knew that Malice wouldn't be so happy for nothing. Malice's life points also increased by 500 due to Solemn Wishes effect, increasing his life points every standby phase.

"Alright it's time for me to activate a certain spell card that'll assist me immensely. It's a card I've wanted to play ever since this duel started and I didn't draw it until now" Malice told everyone.

"I wonder what it could be" Syrus tried to guess.

"Who knows but if he was waiting for that particular card, it must have some sort of a super effect" Joey said.

"Whatever it is, Yugi can handle it" Jaden added confidently.

Malice placed the card into his duel disk. The larger holographic version of itself appeared on the field. It had the picture of a stone altar and a gargoyle looking creature chained onto it. It was lying on its back. Yugi nor Jaden or anyone else has ever seen that card before.

"Allow me to explain what this card is and how it works. It's a continuous spell card called Sacrificial Altar. It lets me tribute any tokens to summon monsters ignoring all tribute conditions. However in order to use this effect I must pay 1000 life points each time I summon a monster using this effect" Malice explained.

"That explains why you have so many cards that increase your life points. You use your Sacrificial Altar to summon strong monsters with ease because of numerous token summoning cards. Then your life point increasing cards recover you from the points you pay" Yugi cleared up for everyone.

Malice nodded, Yugi was smart at this game. He figured out his strategy. But what Yugi didn't know was why Malice played Sacrificial Altar. What type of devastating monsters that still lurked in his deck was a mystery to the slightly anxious Yugi Moto.

"I'll activate my Sacrificial Altar now. I pay 1000 life points" Malice said.

His life point meter went down as his life points were drained. Although it was a small price to pay for what he was about to do.

"Which gives me the ability to sacrifice any number of tokens on my side of the field to summon a monster. I tribute 2 sheep tokens in order to summon Barrel Dragon!" Malice shouted as menacing machine monster appeared.

"Oh no! This isn't good" Jesse commented.

"Right there with ya, Barrel Dragon's effect lets Malice toss a coin 3 times. If two of those coins toss are heads he can destroy any monster on Yugi's side of the field" Alexis agreed.

"I remember that card very well. Bandit Keith used it at Duelist Kingdom and back then the monster was able to attack three times but now its effect has been changed. I guess Pegasus thought the card was too strong" Joey thought as ting drops of sweat fell from the side of his head.

"Hahaha go Barrel Dragon use your effect!" Malice yelled.

A holographic coin appeared. It flipped itself into the air and landed on heads. Malice smile became even wider. The second coin toss landed on tails. The third coin toss was the big one; it flipped itself into the air. It hit the ground spinning on its side. Yugi focused on the spinning coin while most of his friends were grinding their teeth. Malice watched, as the coin landed on tails. Unfortunate for Malice as he couldn't deal as much damage as he could of but it didn't matter, he could still attack Yugi. He wasn't afraid of the face down card. Joey and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close" Alexis said.

"Too close" Joey said.

Yugi was the most relieved of all, but he still wasn't out of this mess yet. Malice's Barrel Dragon could still attack and cause some damage.

"Barrel Dragon, destroy his Queen's Knight!" Malice commanded.

The machine monster generated power in its 3 cannons. This was going to hurt Yugi's life points and his chances of winning. Barrel Dragon, with 2600 attack points and 2200 defense points blasted 3 orange balls of energy at Queen's Knight. Queen's Knight was destroyed and because her attack was only 1500, Yugi lost 1100 life points. Malice has overpowered Yugi. Yugi was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to do. He didn't understand what happened to him, how did he lose all the self confidence he had after the Pharaoh went into the afterlife? For the first few years after he was gone, Yugi was fine. He was brave and took on the countless baddies that came after Bakura. But as the years went by Yugi started to lose it again and became the shy person he used to be. Even with his friend's support, it didn't help. He felt he lost a piece of himself that day. Now he was up against a tough opponent and losing.

"What happened to me? How can my flame just die out?" Yugi thought as he put his head down.

Malice sensed both Yugi's doubt and fear. He managed to completely crush the King of Games.

"As fun as it has been winning, I suggest you make your move so I can continue" Malice told him with a slight taunt.

Yugi then remembered all the adventures that he and his friends shared. From the very beginning when he faced Seto Kaiba for the first time and won with Exodia. Then Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom tournament where the creator of Duel Monsters stole his grandpa's soul with his Millennium Eye and used the ancient power of the item to look at people's hands and counteract their strategies. Next was the Battle City tournament where Yugi faced the threat known as Marik Ishtar and his gang of Rare Hunters. Marik wanted to drain the Pharaoh's powers and become the ruler of the world; he defeated all those who came across him using the Egyptian God monsters he possessed. In the Battle City finals Marik's darker alter ego, Yami Marik took over the original Marik's body and continued his plans. He became even more dangerous. His reign of destruction started with Mai who he sent to the Shadow Realm, others followed. Noah Kaiba caused lots of trouble for them by sending in his associates, the Big 5, who were all trapped in cyber space to duel Yugi and his friends and if the Big 5 won, Yugi and friend's bodies would be taken over by them. If the Big 5 succeded in taking over their bodies, they would have been able to escape the virtual nightmare they were subjected to. The Battle City Tournament finals continued and ended at Kaiba's Duel Tower where Yugi once again defeated Seto Kaiba. Yugi also defeated Yami Marik in the last duel and managed to beat his mighty Winged Dragon of Ra using the other two Egyptian God cards he won during the tournament from Strings and Kaiba. Marik's evil perished and the good Marik gave Yugi the third and final Egyptian God. Yugi travelled to the museum in Domino City where he was supposed to gain back his powers and memory. Instead his god cards were drained of their powers by the manipulative Dartz. The controller of an incredible force called the Seal of Orichalcos. During this time Yugi faced fierce battles as Dartz tried to resurrect the Great Leviathan. Dartz succeeded to an extent; however Yugi foiled his plans by defeating the Great Leviathan by weakening it then destroying it with all 3 Egyptian Gods. The final great battles he fought were against Bakura when he and his friends travelled into the Pharaoh's past where they confronted Zorc and beat both him and Bakura. So many battles, so many adventures. It was these experiences that made Yugi stronger both in mind and spirit. The sudden epiphany awoke Yugi. Malice was just like any other villain, thought he knew it all and everything he said was right.

"You're going down Malice. I'm going to make sure of it" Yugi thought as the fire in his heart alit again.

Yugi put his hand on his deck, then suddenly something unexpected and amazing happened. His Millennium Puzzle glowed. The golden rays emitting from the puzzle were very bright. Everyone, even Malice's eyes went wide. Yugi looked down, the light became stronger and covered his body but before it did Yugi yelled out a word that he hasn't yelled in a long time.

"YU-GI-OH!" Yugi shouted as his body disappeared in the light.

Everyone around Yugi shut their eyes due to the intensity of the light. The light shone new hope into this otherwise dark world. As the light faded, everyone opened their eyes, the person that stood where Yugi was made them silent. It was the Pharaoh, Atem. Atem had his eyes closed until the light fully went away and when it did his eyelids shot up. Malice grunted in fear as he stepped back.

"Impossible! You can't be back" Malice cried.

The Pharaoh smiled as he looked at Malice.

"So you're the one who has caused such a great disturbance. I, the Pharaoh, shall defeat you and rid your evil from this world" Atem replied with utter calmness in his voice.

Joey didn't know how to respond. The Pharaoh wasn't supposed to return but for some reason he did. Inside Yugi's mind, Yugi and Atem talked to each other.

"How did you come back?" Yugi asked.

"The afterlife sensed a great disturbance for the world below and I was called upon to get rid of it. It seems that my mission was not complete yet. The Millennium Puzzle stayed intact which meant I was destined to return to duel again" Atem answered.

"Either way it's great to see you again, I've missed you" Yugi admitted.

"As did I, old friend. What do you say we take down this foe like the old days? As a team" Yugi replied as they shook hands.

Yugi nodded. "We can get acquainted again later, for now let's beat this guy. All we need to do is believe in the Heart of the Cards, something that I haven't been able to do lately" Yugi said sadly.

"You never lost it Yugi, you've just forgotten. The flame will always burn inside you; you just have to believe in yourself as well as your deck. Now let's do this" Atem replied as he came back to the real world.

Malice didn't know what to make of this. Yugi changed into another Yugi, the other Yugi who dueled most of the time and won. This was the real King of Games.

"I don't know who you are, all I know is you're a different Yugi. I heard that you haven't appeared in a long time. I guess that explains why" Malice told him.

Atem didn't say anything, he just stared at Malice. The Pharaoh didn't know who Malice was or what deck he used; all he knew was that Malice must be stopped at all cost. Malice stood his ground and tried to be intimidating again, just as he did with little Yugi. He stared into Atem's eyes with an evil grin. It didn't take long for Malice to realize that Atem didn't have any fear within him. This has never happened to him before.

"How can he be so confident now?" Malice wondered in his mind.

Atem's eyes never left Malice's stare. Instead of the Pharaoh getting nervous, it was Malice who was starting to sweat.

"What's going on? It's not working, I don't sense any fear" Malice groaned.

"You don't scare me" the Pharaoh replied.

Atem's stare was sharp and effective; Malice was struggling to keep his head up. The Pharaoh put his hand on the top of his deck and drew.

"I shall continue from where Yugi left off. It's time to duel!" Atem shouted.

The sudden yell caused Malice to jerk backwards and lose his focus. He failed to scare the other Yugi, in fact he was the one who was nervous. Malice was angered; he didn't feel in control anymore. The duel was about to continue but this time Malice had to face the hardly-ever-defeated Pharaoh.

**Atem has returned! He shall continue this duel with the incredible skills he has, let's hope he wins. Will Yugi's alter ego be able to defeat Malice, or does the maniacal Malefic user still have tricks up his sleeve. Find out as the duel continues in the next chapter. I will update soon. More reactions, from Joey, Jaden, etc will be written in the next chapter. I just wanted to finish up at a fast pace with everyone not knowing how to react and Malice shaking in his boots.**


End file.
